Just Getting Started
by Bridlin
Summary: Follow up to 'Swings and Roundabouts'. Post engagement Caskett fun. "She traced the beautiful ring with a fingertip before removing it with a regretful sigh and putting it back in its box. She gave him a lingering kiss on her way past and he knew there was a hint of apology in her gentle caress."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: No, still not mine. I'm just borrowing these characters and playing with them a bit.**

Chapter 1

'Seriously, Kate? We seriously have to do this again?' Castle was leaning on the doorframe between the bedroom and study, arms crossed, enjoying the view as she finished dressing.

'We agreed last night. It makes sense. Just your mom and my dad for now until Alexis is back and that'll give me time to tell Gates.' She slipped on one of her black stilettos but took it off again, choosing the chunky heeled boots instead. Castle's lips twitched. He knew that she thought of them as a sensible work option but could four-inch heels ever be considered sensible by anyone other than Kate Beckett?

'Ah, but last night I was under duress. You took advantage of me. I wasn't thinking straight.'

She gave up trying to tie her hair into a neat bun, shaking it out and running her fingers through it so the waves cascaded over her shoulders.

'I didn't notice you complaining, Castle,' she teased, lowering her eyelids and twitching her brows at him.

'Maybe you should persuade me some more,' he said uncrossing his arms and covering the space between them in two long strides. He rested his hands on her hips pulling her towards him and she gave him a quick kiss before using her hands on his chest to lever herself out of his grip.

'This morning's er… persuading has already made me late for work. Can you help me find my phone?' She knelt on the floor to search under the discarded sheets. 'Ha!' She saw a glow through the sheet before it started ringing and thrust her arm into the tangled mess to retrieve it.

'Beckett.' She sat back on her heels.

'I like you on your knees, Beckett,' she heard in stereo, twisting her head round to catch him with his phone to his ear. That earned him an eye-roll but also a little grin because he was awfully cute sometimes.

She shoved the phone in her pocket and gave him a peck on the lips on route to the door.

'See you there. Oh!' She came back slowly and looked down at her hand.

She traced the beautiful ring with a fingertip before removing it with a regretful sigh and putting it back in its box. She gave him a lingering kiss on her way past and he knew there was a hint of apology in her gentle caress.

Alone in the loft, he sat at his desk and glanced at his watch. They'd been engaged for twelve hours and thirty-six minutes and he wanted the whole world to know. He wanted her to wear her ring all the time. He wanted to put an announcement in the New York Times. He wanted to throw a party to celebrate. But she said they should keep it low key for now and he knew she was right. He didn't want the world to know before Alexis got back from Costa Rica. It was a good reason and he wouldn't give house room to the worry niggling in a dark corner of his mind that this was Kate doing what she did, closing out the world and keeping secrets. And if she was, well he'd cope with that because that was who she was and he loved her. And he was in on this secret. They had both agreed that that they should tell their parents now. Martha and Jim had been instrumental in getting them to this point and they'd both be worried. They deserved to be told that their children had resolved their differences in the best possible way. He shook his head trying to make space for something other than thoughts of Kate. Gina was waiting for his decision on the cover art for Deadly Heat and then he needed to take coffee and breakfast to his fiancée because they hadn't got as far as the kitchen this morning.

'Kate Beckett is my fiancée,' he said out loud, pride written on his face.

* * *

Kate strode into the bullpen with a toss of her hair, pausing to take in the scene around her in the shabby and functional workspace. The desks were old and the floor stained and there was no grand vista from the windows. It was grubby and messy and she loved it. She used to be the first in and the last out and she still was if she was working a tough case, but she rarely spent a night here anymore, grabbing a couple of hours sleep on the break room couch. Even if it were only for a few hours, she'd go back to the loft and slip into bed beside Castle, sometimes leaving again before he was awake but always feeling better for being near him. This place, this job, was an important part of her life but it was no longer her whole life.

She absorbed the normal hum of activity, detectives and uniforms going about their usual working day, answering telephones, checking information on computers, chatting and laughing as they dealt with the grim business of murder, catching the guilty and getting justice for the sinned against. Bringing some closure to the devastated families left behind. She smiled. Yeah, she loved this place.

'Hey.' She smiled good morning to Esposito and Ryan, hanging her jacket over the back of her chair and dropping her bag on her desk. The boys looked at each other and followed her into the break room.

'Yo, Kate, you okay?' Espo asked.

'Yeah, great thanks Javi,' she said, as she poured herself a coffee.

'We can see that. You've got something to tell us?'

'Ha?' She paused, eyes wide, her mug suspended half way to her mouth.

Ryan looked out to the bullpen conspiratorially and closed the door.

'Come on, Kate. Stop holding out on us,' he asked.

Kate's mouth dropped open and her eyes grew even bigger. How could they possibly know? Had someone seen them in the park?

'You said you had something to tell us, Kate. We're you're friends. Share.' Esposito's eyes were clouded with confusion.

Kate let out a relieved breath. 'Oh. Right. Yeah. I had a job offer but I'm not taking it.'

'What job offer? You didn't tell us you were up for another job.' Esposito persisted.

'I know, Javi. Sorry. It was a Federal job. In DC. But I decided I didn't want it. I love my job and I love working with you guys. This is where I want to be.' She took a slurp of coffee. It was good but not as good as when Castle made it.

'Is that what you argued with Castle about?'

She hesitated. 'Sort off. But we're okay now. More than okay.' She smiled widely and opened the door. 'Don't say anything, guys. I have to tell Gates that I'm not going first.'

When she got back to her desk she glanced down at her left hand, bare of rings and looking strangely naked. She shuffled some paperwork, struggling to concentrate. She was going to marry Richard Castle. She giggled, attracting the boys' attention. God, she needed to get herself under control but she could feel a grin coming so she rushed to the restroom before she made a complete idiot of herself.

Esposito turned to Ryan who was watching Kate speed along the corridor.

'What's going on with her?'

'It's obvious. Mood swings, rushing to the ladies room. Just like Jenny…'

'You mean… No!'

'Javi, think about it. You said yourself there was something off. She's been pale and tired, disappearing at odd times. And yesterday she said she had something to tell us but she needed to tell someone else first. Who would that be? Castle, obviously. Now she's told him, she's all happy. Got to be. Beckett's pregnant.'

Esposito who grimaced, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the thought.

'Just wait until Castle comes in. He's rubbish at hiding things. He'll be all smiles and lovey dovey.' Ryan nodded knowingly.

* * *

'Captain, may I have a word?' Kate stood in the doorway of Gates' office, waiting to be admitted.

Gates indicated with her hand that Kate should come in and sit.

'Sir…'

'I understand that congratulations are in order.'

'Sir? How… how did you know?' For the second time that morning Kate was filled with dismay. How could Gates possibly have found out?

'I had a call from the Deputy Director of the FBI this morning. Well done. You really deserve this, Kate. It's a fantastic opportunity.' Gates took her glasses off and smiled at her.

'Oh, the job. Yeah. That's what I wanted to tell you. I've decided not to take it, Sir.'

'Not take it? But this is an amazing offer. It'll put you on the national stage, make full use of your talents. You may never get another chance as good as this.'

'I know, Sir, but I've thought about it and it's not what I want. I'm a homicide detective and I'm really good at it. I might not be on the national stage but what I do makes a difference to the people left behind when their loved ones are brutally stolen from them. It's important and I love it.'

'I hope you've thought this through carefully, Detective.'

'I have, Sir.' Kate nodded.

'And you're making this decision for the right reasons?' She narrowed her eyes, wagging her glasses in Kate's direction.

'Absolutely, Sir. I know that this is the right decision.'

'Humph! I hope you don't end up regretting this. Well get back to work then, Detective.' She put her glasses back on and looked down at the file on her desk, waving at Kate to leave.

That hadn't gone too badly but it wasn't the right time to tell the captain about her engagement. She'd assume that that was why she'd decided to stay in New York. And Kate was worried about what it would mean for her working relationship with Castle. Plausible deniability would be tougher for Gates if her star detective was openly engaged to her writer. She worried at her lip but relaxed when she saw Castle sitting in his chair. His back was to her and Ryan was balanced on the edge of her desk with Esposito standing nearby, their attention focussed on him. They didn't notice her approach so she caught a snippet of their conversation before they realised she was there.

'Yesterday Beckett was down in the dumps and today she's on cloud nine and you don't know why? Don't give me that, Castle.'

'Javi, leave it. They'll tell us when they're ready.'

'Tell you… tell you what? There's nothing to tell.' Castle's voice was squeaky and she could tell, even before he ran his hand through his hair, that he was feeling the pressure.

'Hey guys, what you talking about?' she said and he spun round to look at her, a look of such relief on his face she couldn't suppress the wide smile that forced itself to her lips. He grinned back. A sappy, foolish grin that made her smile even wider.

'Nothing,' said Ryan nodding to Esposito who rolled his eyes in disgust at something.

'Haven't you got paperwork to finish on the case?'

'Right.' They moved back to their desks, Ryan grinning but Esposito looking less than happy.

'Thank God. They were practising their interrogation techniques on me. It's like they know,' Castle gasped.

She sat down, resting her hand on his knee for a moment. 'Don't worry. It's the job offer. I missed you. Did you bring food?'

'You missed me or you're hungry? I've got muffins and a bear claw. What would you like?' He handed her a cup of coffee and opened a brown bag to take out a blueberry muffin.

'Both. I'm starving. All that exercise last night sure helped me work up an appetite.' She took the muffin and took a big bite and washed it down with a gulp of coffee.

Across the room Espoito and Ryan had their heads together.

'Beckett wouldn't be drinking coffee if she was pregnant, bro,' Esposito said.

'It'll be decaf,' said Ryan, confidently.

'But look how she's eating that muffin? She wouldn't be able to do that.'

'Sorry, Javi, but that's not unusual. Some women are really hungry after morning sickness. That's not to say she won't boak in a minute…'

'Will you stop talking about it. You're making _me_ feel like boaking, man,' Esposito said with a little dry heave.

**Let me know if you like it or hate it. Dinner with the parents next.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Castle added two more paper clips to his chain and held it up to admire his handiwork.

'If you don't finish soon I could be featuring in the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.'

'Not today, Stationary Man. That's the last one.' Kate dropped a file into the cardboard box on her desk. 'I just need to give this to Gomez and then we can go.'

'Let me get that for you.' Castle jumped to his feet and picked up the box.

'Gallant. I approve, Mr Castle,' Kate said, smiling up at him.

He grinned and kept his eyes on her as he started walking, stumbling into a chair. Her stifled laughter attracted Ryan's attention and he paused, with his arm halfway down the sleeve of his jacket to nudge Esposito.

'What now?' Esposito snapped.

Ryan nodded in the direction of Castle carrying the box across the room.

'He's doing all the carrying.'

'That doesn't mean…' Esposito spluttered but was silenced by the Kevin's smug expression. 'Let's just get out of here, bro. I need a cold one.'

Kate was on the phone when they reached her desk.

'You got my message?_ Yeah, dinner at the loft tonight_ About eight?_ Perfect_ No, it's just the four of us_ Er, well, we want to…we've got some news_ No, no, nothing to worry about._ Okay. Ah…' She hesitated, noticing the boys hovering by her desk. 'Got to go now, Dad. See you later.'

She put down the phone, saying nothing as she looked up at them.

'We were going to ask if you wanted to join us at the Old Haunt but it sounds like you have other plans. Special dinner?' Esposito questioned.

'Er… No. Not… Just the folks, you know.' Kate swallowed and chewed her lip under his scrutiny.

Ryan bumped him with his elbow. 'Come on. Javi. Night Beckett.'

Esposito huffed and followed Ryan to the elevator. He stared straight ahead as the doors closed.

'Just don't. Not a word.'

* * *

The first thing Kate did when they got home was to slide on her ring. She was entranced by its beauty but even more by its significance and ten minutes later Castle found her sitting on the bed, still wearing her work clothes, gazing at her hand. Had she looked up she would have seen him stop and catch his breath, overwhelmed not just by the sight but also because she was so clearly in this relationship as much as he was. He sat beside her and she rested her head on his broad shoulder and sniffed.

'Kate, are you crying?' he asked, slipping his hand around her to rest on her waist.

She nodded and he waited until she was ready to speak.

'I'm so happy, Rick. I just wish my Mom was here.'

'I know.' He tilted his head to lean on hers and that sat together for a another minute until Kate reached out her upturned hand to him.

'Hankie.'

He obliged and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose noisily and then he had to kiss away her tears. Dinner preparations were forgotten for long enough to ensure that, even if they hadn't both been as nervous as a pair of school children about to perform a duet together for the first time in front of an audience with their parents in the front row, there was going to be a scramble in the kitchen.

* * *

The chicken in the oven, they'd returned to the bedroom to get changed with the rest of the bottle of wine.

'So, should I keep it on?' Kate asked, holding up her hand so that the diamonds caught the light and split into a rainbow of flashes. She finished her glass of wine and turned her back to him so he could zip up her red dress.

'Always,' he said, kissing her neck. She hummed but twisted away, conscious that Martha was probably sitting in the living room and that her father was due to arrive any moment.

'Castle! You know what I mean. If I'm wearing the ring all evening they'll know straightaway. What's the etiquette?'

'Etiquette dictates that your dad should already know because I ought to have asked his permission to pay my addresses to you. Do you think he'll be mad?' he asked, buttoning up the cornflower blue shirt that she loved because it made his eyes look like deep inviting pools.

'Dad's never mad. Well, hardly ever. And how should I know? I haven't been engaged before.'

'Well that's reassuring, Not.'

She reached for the wine to refill her glass.

'Er, Kate, you might want to slow down. We'll be having champagne later.'

'It's only my second glass…'

'Fourth actually.'

'No.'

'Yes.'

She put the bottle down. 'I guess I'm more nervous than I thought.'

'Ready?' he asked. She nodded and took her ring off for the second time, sighing as she gave it to him for safekeeping.

* * *

'Do you have any idea what's going on here?' Jim asked Martha as she took a seat beside him, his voice lowered so that the two nervous cooks wouldn't hear.

'Not a clue, though I have my suspicions. Either they're going to DC together or,' she leaned forward dramatically, finishing sotto voce, 'Katherine's pregnant.'

Jim opened and closed his mouth and she patted his arm sympathetically.

'Jeez, I don't know which is worse.' He rubbed his hands up and down his face.

'You'd mind if she's pregnant? It's not like she's a teenager.'

'And it's not like their relationship has been on the most solid footing recently,' he countered, taking a swig of orange juice.

'Come on, Jim, you know they love each other.' Both of them were watching Kate and Castle rushing about putting finishing touches to the meal. They usually functioned like a well-oiled machine in the kitchen but tonight there was plenty of clattering of plates and mumbled oaths.

'Is it old-fashioned to wish my daughter was married before having a baby?' he sighed.

'I must admit, I thought that an engagement might be the third option but,' she waved her left hand, 'no ring. Whatever is going on, I'm just happy that they're together. Richard has just been miserable for the last few days.'

'Katie too. Your son does make her happy.'

A few feet away in the kitchen Castle took the salad bowl from Kate before the contents adorned the floor.

'Kate, relax. There's nothing to worry about,' he murmured.

'I know but I've never done this before, Castle.'

'Neither have I.'

'You haven't?'

'Nope. I didn't get anything right until now.' He kissed her across the salad and lettuce and tomatoes tumbled out unnoticed.

'Hey kiddo, you're dropping dinner on the floor,' Martha called and Kate blushed as they separated.

'Have you got my ring?' she whispered.

'You know I have. It's in my pocket.'

She reached in to check and he jumped back.

'Whoa! Not in front of the parents. If you're nervous now, imagine how much worse it will be if you get me… over-excited. Put that on the table and I'll get the rest.' He handed her the salad and, with one hand in the small of her back, urged her towards the table.

Jim took the bowl from his daughter's trembling hands the remaining contents ended up all over the table, getting no reassurance that Martha's speculation might be wrong. He didn't think she'd be this jittery if it was about DC. He narrowed his eyes at Castle, seeing him not as his girl's boyfriend but as the man who got her pregnant.

'Here we go. Chicken Cacciatore. One of Kate's specialities.' He placed the dish in the centre of the table, tossing the oven gloves towards the kitchen and sat down with Kate on his right and Martha to his left. He was sitting opposit Jim and his smile waned under such thorough examination.

'Well this looks delicious but if we're going to enjoy it, you'd better put us out of our misery. What's this about, kids?' Martha said, sitting back.

'Mother!' Castle sighed. He looked to Kate who took his hand and squeezed it giving him a nod of encouragement.

'I'm delighted – we're delighted - to tell you that er… ' He hesitated aware of Jim's unwavering gaze, 'and I'm sorry if you think this is the wrong way round, Jim, but um…I…we… er.' His future father-in-law was now glaring at him and it took a convulsive grasp of his hand from Kate to give him courage to continue. He stood up, taking her with him and wrapping a proprietary arm around her.

'I'm proud to tell you that Kate has made me the happiest man in the world by agreeing to be my wife.'

He kissed her, retaining his hold around her shoulders as they turned expectantly to their parents. Martha, for once, was dumb struck, her eyes filling with tears. Jim, momentarily frozen, got slowly to his feet, opening his arms for his little girl and Castle released her to her father's embrace.

'Katie, sweetheart, I'm so happy for you. I wish your mother was here to see this day.'

'Me too, Dad,' she mumbled into his shoulder, sniffing back tears.

Martha was kissing Castle on both cheeks.

'Good man, Richard. At long last you've done something right. You hang on to Katherine. She's a wonderful woman.'

'I know, Mom. Thank you.'

'So where's the ring, darling?' she asked, turning to Kate.

'Here you go.' Castle delved into his pocket, and extracted a purple silk pouch. 'I thought if you're going to be taking this on and off, I'd need this.'

He shook out the ring onto his palm and for the second time guided it onto Kate's finger.

'Oh, it's beautiful, Kate,' said Martha, taking her hand.

'Rick, you're a lucky man. You look after my Katie.' Jim shook his hand warmly.

'I promise I will, sir,' Castle replied, giving him a man hug.

'Johanna would have approved of you. You make our daughter happy and I couldn't ask for more.'

'Champagne, Richard, we need champagne,' Martha declared.

Normal rhythm returned to the kitchen as Castle and Kate sprang into action, he opening the champagne and Kate pouring sparkling grape juice for Jim.

* * *

'I don't think Mom would just have approved of you, Rick. She'd have loved you.' Kate rested her head on his chest, snuggling closer to him.

'You think?' he said, proudly.

'Well, she'd have thought you were a jackass at first but then you'd have grown on her.'

'I wish I could've met her.'

'I know. Castle, is the room moving?'

'No, that's all the wine and champagne you drank on an empty stomach. I did tell you to eat.'

'I know, but the chicken tasted awful.'

'Hmm. Maybe you should stick to salt instead of sugar next time.'

* * *

Lanie Parish sat on her couch sipping her wine.

'You are a fool, Javier Esposito. If Kate Beckett were pregnant, I _would_ know. I'll get to the bottom of this tomorrow. In the meantime, what are you doing all the way over there? Get over here and kiss me.'

**Right, now I'm nervous. I've never had so many follows and I feel the pressure is on. You had better tell me whether I'm meeting your expectations or I might have to retreat into my writer's hermit shell..**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Richard Castle looked down at his future wife. She was sprawled on her front across the bed, one leg hooked over the scrunched up sheet, the other stretched straight out, her face partially obscured by her masses of dark wavy, hair. Her right arm was curled around her pillow; the left elegantly draped over the bed so that her hand dangled delicately over the edge. She was completely naked and he took a moment to admire her perfect body, long golden limbs, the rise of her pert bottom. Even with her mouth hanging open and drool trailing from her lip, she was the most beautiful woman he knew. And she'd be late for work if she didn't wake up soon.

'Kate, honey,' he said sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking her head, 'you really need to wake up now.'

The only evidence that she was even remotely aware that he was talking to her was a muffled groan.

'Come on, Kate. Time to get up.'

'Goway, Castle,' she mumbled, flapping ineffectually at his hand.

'Kate, you're late for work.'

'Oh, God. Work.' She opened one eye and closed it again, burying her head in her pillow.

'It's after eight…'

'After eight? Why didn't you wake me?' She sat up quickly and rolled back down, holding her head.

'I did. At seven and seven thirty and every ten minutes since.'

'Oh, I'm dying,' she groaned.

'Just hung-over. You want me to call in sick for you?'

'Yes! No! I've never had a day off because of a hang-over and I'm not starting now.'

She pushed herself up to sit up against the headboard.

'Here you go. This'll help.' He held out two Tylenol and a glass of water.

She took them from him, resting her forehead on his upper arm as she handed the glass back. He kissed the top of her head, with a grin. He didn't want to see her in pain but worse-for-wear-Kate did make him realise just how far they had come. A little over a year ago the idea of naked Beckett in his bed was no more than a fantasy, admittedly one he'd indulged in too many times, but still a fantasy. That not only was she in his bed, but that he had become the person she relied upon, trusted enough to show she wasn't always in control, let into the secret that she could make mistakes, that he'd become her go-to guy, now that was big. Really big. And as her go-to guy it was his job to help her get to work.

'I'll turn on the shower,' he said encouraging her to stand up with an arm around her waist.

* * *

When Kate emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, he'd not only brought her a coffee, he'd also laid out her clothes on the bed. He was rewarded with the ghost of a smile.

'So now our parents know…'

'Castle, I love you but can we not talk right now please?' she said, shimmying into her panties.

'I wasn't going to talk-talk, just making conversation…'

'Castle!' She sighed, covering the side of her face with her hand.

'Right.' He watched her dress in silence, grasping just how bad she must feel when she refused her coffee. Unwashed hair in a ponytail, she picked up her purse and walked slowly towards the door.

'Kate,' he said, quietly.

'What?' She scowled at him. He didn't speak, just pointed to his hand.

'Oh,' she sighed, handing him her ring.

In the back of the cab, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. In contrast to his fiancée, he felt great. He been too full of nervous energy to drink much, flitting about, clearing the table, throwing away uneaten chicken before Kate saw how little everyone had eaten, serving dessert, refilling glasses, not noticing how many times she'd refilled her own until he picked up the empty bottle of Moet. By the time he'd realised how much she must have drunk, it was too late to save her from the inevitable consequences. Late in the evening she'd sat on the couch with Martha while Jim had helped him tidy the kitchen. He'd taken the chance to apologise for not asking for his permission to ask for Kate's hand.

'So long as Katie is happy I really couldn't care less. You know, I really thought she was going to take that job.' Jim had looked up at him, handing him the chopping board he had just dried. His gaze was penetrating and Castle had understood the unvoiced question.

'There were no conditions, Jim. DC, New York or anywhere else. The place doesn't matter.'

Jim had nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer.

'Well, as it's New York, I think it's time for you to improve your knowledge of baseball.'

Castle had grinned, nodding his agreement.

* * *

Esposito was on maximum alert, looking for any and every sign that would disprove Ryan's theory. His partner was equally vigilant in his hunt for evidence, determined to show that he was right. After all, he was a bit of an expert in pregnancy.

'She's late.' Ryan glanced at his watch.

'That doesn't mean a thing. Traffic's probably bad or she and Castle might be… Oh God! Look what you've done now. Made me think about them doing… You're traumatising me man.' Esposito closed his eyes and shook his head, wrinkling his nose as if there were rotten egg on his top lip.

'Well you'd better keep your eyes closed because you don't want to see what's just arrived.'

Esposito instantly opened his eyes. Kate and Castle were walking slowly from the lift. She was pale and pinched, her body inclining towards his as if in need of his support.

'Damn! She looks… Damn! He's even carrying her purse.'

'You'd do anything for the woman carrying your child, Javi.'

'Just stop. Just… I can't…'

They watched the couple's progress to Kate's desk. Javi tried not to look as Castle pulled out her chair and started to help her off with her jacket. She shrugged him off and, as he disappeared in the direction of the break room, she slumped into the chair and dropped her head into her hands.

'Why does it bother you so much?' Ryan whispered.

'It's Beckett. Kate. And Castle. And they've…'

'They've been together for about a year. You can't have imagined…'

'That's just it. I didn't have to imagine until now. She's like my sister. And Castle's my friend. So my friend has got my sister pregnant and I don't want to think about it.'

'You're going to have to get over it, you know.'

'I know. I know. But why are you so happy about it? She's your sister too.'

'Well, that means my little one's going to have a cousin the same age and I know how happy they must be.' Ryan smiled and Esposito rolled his eyes.

'God, save me from happy parents-to-be. You're all over the place.' He glanced towards Kate. "Mind you, she doesn't look too happy right now.'

'But just look at Castle.'

Castle was carrying a mug of something hot from the kitchen, a sympathetic smile on his face.

'Morning guys! Beckett's not feeling too good this morning so I made her some herbal tea. You want some?' he asked.

They shook their heads and watched as he sat in his chair, and offered the tea to Kate who still had her head in her hands.

'Yuk! Take it away. It smells disgusting.' She lifted her head, her lips pressed tightly together before her chair clattered to the floor behind her as she rushed to the restroom.

Esposito picked up the phone.

'Who are you calling?'

'Lanie. She needs to see this.'

* * *

'I told you, Javier. This is ridiculous. If you've dragged me all the way here on some silly goose chase…'

'No, Lanie, he's right,' Ryan said.

'As if you'd know, Kevin Ryan. You're seeing pregnant women everywhere. Next thing is you'll think _I'm_ pregnant.'

Esposito blanched. 'You're… you're not though, right?'

Lanie swung at him with the file in her hand, hitting him hard on the bicep.

'Ow!' He rubbed his arm with the palm of his hand but the narrow-eyed glare she was giving him was even more painful.

'Where are they?' she asked, looking around.

'In the interview room.'

The boys sat down and watched as Lanie went into action. The blinds were down in the interview room but the door was ajar and Lanie hesitated when she saw Kate sitting in an easy chair with Castle balanced on the arm, rubbing her back. There was something intimate about the picture and she wasn't comfortable interrupting them. She knew she should either go in or move away but she was drawn by their conversation.

'Here you go, Kate.'

'No, leave me alone.' Her elbows were on her knees and she pushed her fingers into her hair, loosening the ponytail so that tendrils hung down around her face.

'I've got you tea. It'll make you feel better,' he said coaxingly.

'I feel awful. This is your fault.'

'My fault? I don't see how…' he protested, without changing his tone.

'You could have stopped me, Castle. You should have stopped me.' Kate groaned and Lanie saw him gently rub the back of her neck.

'So I'm the responsible one now?' There was a hint of amusement in his voice and she slouched against his thigh, rolling her head from side to side and apparently enjoying his touch despite her evident nausea.

'Yes! On the rare occasions I'm irresponsible it's your job to take on that role.'

'But you were having so much fun…'

'Then, Castle. Then it was fun. Now just look at the mess I'm in.'

'You're not alone, Beckett. I'm here. With tea and sympathy.'

'Tea and sympathy are not working for me right now.'

'You want me to go?'

'Don't you dare leave me like this.' There was a hint of panic in Kate's voice and Lanie withdrew, schooling her features to hide her shock from Ryan and Esposito. Yes, Kate Beckett was pregnant all right but she wasn't going to confirm that to the boys. Not until she'd had a chance to talk to her friend.

* * *

Captain Gates stood in the doorway of her office watching the Medical Examiner. She'd been aware since they'd arrived this morning that Detective Beckett was unwell and Castle was being particularly solicitous. She'd drawn her own conclusions and Dr Parish's face confirmed her suspicions. It looked like plausible deniability was about to get a whole lot harder.

**Thank you for all your reviews and follows. A slightly shorter chapter but it sets up the next one. Please keep reviewing. I'm full of writer's insecurities...**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

'Mr Castle, a word please.' Captain Gates stood at the door of her office peering at him over the top of her glasses.

'I… Um, well…If… Me?' He flailed, desperately looking around for salvation but finding only Ryan and Esposito, silently but eloquently conveying sympathy with a larger dose of uselessness. 'Right.'

He'd rarely had to deal with Gates on his own since she'd thrown him out of the precinct two years ago. Kate was usually beside him offering some degree of protection and always providing moral support. At worst, she would be the other side of the door with reassurance and soothing words. He glanced towards the elevator torn between hoping she'd come to his rescue and praying that she wouldn't come back from her walk with Lanie yet because he didn't want her to be subjected to Gates' close scrutiny in her current state.

'Please sit.' Gates shut the door and balanced on the edge of her desk. 'What are you doing here?'

'Sir?' A rush of déjà vu hit him. She was chucking him out again?

'Today. Why are you here today? Detective Beckett isn't working an active case. You don't usually devote yourself to helping with paperwork so why are you here?'

'Well I…' He tried to buy himself some time while he came up with something other than the truth. He didn't think Gates would appreciate hearing that he was at her precinct because he wanted to spend as many hours as possible of every day with Kate and that today, in particular, he was necessary because she needed him so that he could both share her pain and be her punching bag. Gates mysteriously held up her hand as if in acknowledgement of something he had said.

'I understand your loyalty to Detective Beckett and I have to admire your dedication. In her condition you don't want to leave her but you won't be able to do that all the time, you know. And if I know anything about Kate Beckett, she'll want her independence. Hopefully this won't last long and I'm willing to give you a bit of extra leeway for a while. I can imagine that she was determined to come to work today but, frankly, she's of little use to me in her current state. I don't want to make an issue of this but if you can persuade her to let you take her home that would be a good thing. I don't think she'd respond well to me talking to her and I don't want to upset her now so just do what you can.'

'She just... It's just something she … had that disagreed with her, Captain,' he said, clutching for something to protect Kate from the ire of Gates.

'Something that disagreed with her.' She chuckled. 'Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. If that's your story, it'll do for today anyway.' She gestured towards the door and Castle didn't delay making his escape. But it was too good to be true. He closed his eyes and grimaced with his hand on the door handle as she called him back.

'I just want to say that I'm glad you're taking your responsibilities seriously.' He glanced back and she smiled. He felt dizzy with confusion and fled to the safety of the bullpen.

* * *

The pounding in Kate's head had eased and she hadn't thrown-up for over an hour so she jumped at Lanie's suggestion that they get some fresh air. She rarely got hangovers because she could hold her liquor and she knew when to stop. Sure, she'd resorted to the bottle for comfort a couple of times when she'd been at her lowest but she'd seen at first hand the destructive power of alcohol and that wasn't a road that she'd be travelling. She'd suffered through hangovers at work before, ensuring that she kept the truth to herself by doing her porcupine impression, making herself as unapproachable as possible. Ryan and Esposito understood when to leave her alone but, from their earliest acquaintance, Castle had seemed to be immune to her spines, never respecting her boundaries. Now, of course, he'd wheedled his way through her spiny exterior and even if he hadn't witnessed how much she'd drunk, she would never have imagined trying to keep it from him. If she'd woken up alone in her own apartment feeling like this she'd have automatically picked up the phone to tell him, baring herself to him warts and all.

They'd headed away from the crowded sidewalk and roar of traffic to the little park down the block, Lanie stopping at the subway entrance to buy two bottles of water from a hotdog seller.

'You need to hydrate,' she said, handing Kate one of the bottles as they entered the park.

'Is it that obvious?' Kate asked, with a wry smile.

'Yes, Sweetie. It is.'

'I hope Gates hasn't noticed.' She worried at her lip for a moment, gazing absently towards children playing on the climbing frame.

'You got my message about the job?' she asked, returning her attention to her friend.'

'I did. It must have been a hard decision.'

Kate shook her head. 'Once I got things in perspective, it was really easy.'

'Does getting things in perspective mean talking to Castle?'

'No. It's funny how sometimes something happens and everything becomes clear. By the time I talked to him, I'd already made up my mind.'

'And you know where you are now with him? You're both committed to the relationship?'

'Absolutely.' Kate smiled down at her friend.

'And you're happy about… everything?'

'Would you think it was corny if I said I was blissful? I know that it's not going to be plain sailing. Things with Castle and me never are but I know that this is the right thing for us. Though right now I feel like crap.'

'That'll get better, Honey. If this is what you want, I'm really happy for you. We should go out for a drink to celebrate,' Lanie said, surprising her when she slipped her arm through hers, and pulled her close.

'But no alcohol. I just couldn't.'

'And you shouldn't! I'll drink for both of us.'

'Thanks for getting me out, Lanie. I feel much better for some fresh air.'

'I believe nibbling crackers can help.'

Kate raised her brows.

'Really? I'll send Castle to get some.'

* * *

By the time they got back to the precinct, Kate was feeling much better.

'You hungry?' Castle asked.

'No exactly. You know, Lanie said that crackers are good for a hangover.'

He was instantly on his feet.

'Then crackers you shall have. By the way, watch out for Gates. She told me she was glad I'm taking my responsibilities seriously.' He turned back to her after two steps, his voicing rising a little, 'and she _smiled_ at me!'

Ryan and Esposito watched him leave and then wheeled their chairs over to her desk.

'So, Beckett, you feeling better?' Ryan asked.

'You noticed ha?'

'We notice everything. You know us.'

Kate mentally thanked Castle for reminding her to take off her ring.

'I'm a lot better, thank you, and thanks for leaving me alone this morning.'

'Your boy Castle seemed to have things under control. Thought we'd leave things to him,' Esposito chimed up.

She thought she spotted him shudder but dismissed it.

'If there's anything you want us to do. Anyway we can help…' Ryan's sentence tailed off.

'That's really sweet, guys, but I'll be fine tomorrow.'

'Ah, that's not really the way it works, Kate.'

'It's just a hangover. Too much champagne on an empty stomach.'

'Too much champagne, ha? Oh, the hazards of living with a best selling author.' Esposito visibly brightened at the thought.

She rolled her eyes at him. 'I've got paperwork to catch up with now. If you need something to do…'

'No, we're good,' Ryan said scooting away.

'Hangover? Ha!' Esposito followed, grinning.

Kate gave them a searching look before making a start on tackling the pile of files on her desk.

'See, I was right. She's not pregnant. A hangover. Explains everything,' Esposito whispered, making no attempt to hide his self-satisfaction.

'It might explain her behaviour today, Javi, but what about yesterday?' Ryan peeked at Kate over the top of his screen.

'You're just clutching at straws, bro. There's no way Kate would drink if she were… you know.' Esposito joined his hands and mimed a swollen belly.

'It's a cover.'

'What? You've spent too much time with Castle. You see conspiracies everywhere. Why would they need a cover? Why not just tell us?'

'Because you don't, Javi. Not for the first trimester.'

'The first tri-what?'

'Not until after three months. Don't you know anything?'

'Not about this, man.' He shook his head violently.

'Shhh! Castle's back and would you look at that?' Kevin sat back in his chair crossing his arms and ankles.

'What?'

'Crackers. He's feeding her crackers.'

'So?'

Kevin opened his drawer and delved into the back, removing a stapler, staples and a hole-punch to gain access to a book.

'What the hell is that?' Esposito reached his hand out to take it from him and then pulled it back sharply when he saw the photograph of a heavily pregnant woman on the cover.

'We've got one at home but I like to have my own, so I could check things out at work.'

'You can't keep that here!'

'It's not porn.'

'No, it's much worse.'

Ryan punched him on the arm and then flicked to a well thumbed chapter. Esposito shuddered when he saw the heading. _"Morning Sickness – What To Expect"._

'Here. _"Dry crackers can help fight the feelings of nausea"._ Conspiracy theory, ha?'

'What you got there?' Castle said, wandering across to see what they were looking at.

'Nothing.' Ryan hastily shoved the book back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

'Come on. Is it porn?'

'Much worse. So much worse,' Esposito said turning his back on them, suddenly completed absorbed by the file that had lain untouched on his desk all day.

'You'll find out soon enough,' said Ryan cryptically, turning his attention to his screen.

* * *

'Better?' Castle asked Kate, sitting on the couch and patting the seat beside him.

'After that delicious pasta, who wouldn't be?' she said, kneeling beside him and giving him a light kiss before curling up and resting her head on his lap.

'I wonder what got into Gates.'

'Maybe it's something to do with me not taking the DC job.' She laid her hand on his thigh so she could see her ring.

'Perhaps. Weird though.'

'Did you think the boys were odd today?'

'Well, they wouldn't show me their porn and they're usually happy to share. Ow!' Kate pinched his leg.

'They were unusually considerate.'

'I guess it was pretty obvious that you were suffering.'

A comfortable silence settled and he wondered if she'd fallen asleep until she spoke sleepily.

'Thank you, Castle.'

'What for?' He ran his fingers through her luxuriant hair, enjoying the feel of the silky waves.

'For looking after me when I was so grumpy and ungrateful.'

'You owe my big time, Beckett.'

'I know. I'll make it up to you,' she mumbled.

'You will, but probably not tonight,' he said, feeling her head get heavier.

**You guys are great. Thank you for all the reviews. Please let me know if this is still to your liking. Do you think the pace is right? I may not be able to update over the weekend. I'll do my best though.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As Kate strapped on her holster, the sun was just making an appearance, giving their bedroom the golden glow that eased the pain of dragging herself away from Castle's warm body at 5.30am for the horror and thrill of yet another crime scene. He did make it easier by getting up with her and making coffee that he decanted into two cups to-go. In what had become their new routine, he waited at the bedroom door for her to take off her ring and give it to him to carefully stow away in her bedside table in its silk pouch.

'Come on, Castle. Let's go,' she said, on her way to the door, aware he'd taken a detour to the closet.

'Hang on, Kate. It's chilly out there. You'll need this.' He caught up with her and wrapped her favourite purple scarf around her neck, tugging on both ends to pull her in for a kiss.

She hummed against his lips for a moment before pulling the scarf out of his hands and turning away to open the door, taking his hand to draw him along behind her.

* * *

Like so many of the city's alleyways, this one was in permanent shade. In mid-Summer it might have been a refuge from the oppressive heat if it wasn't the sort of place avoided by all but the criminal or the desperate. But just after daybreak in late May no heat was penetrating from the watery sun and Kate was glad of her scarf. She allowed herself to walk a little too close to Castle, brushing arms with him as they crossed the police cordon.

'You're always so warm. I think you have some sort of internal central heating.'

'Always happy to share, Detective,' he said, squeezing her waist.

'Castle!' She gave him a wide-eyed stare warning him off but her treacherous body wasn't listening to her head and she swayed against him.

'Nobody's looking. They're all focussed on the body. And besides, do you really think they don't all know?'

'That's not the point. We're at a crime scene. It's not exactly professional.'

'Sorry.' He looked at her like a sad puppy and she couldn't help but grin and give his fingers a squeeze as she prised his hand from where it had found its place on her hip.

'If you could take your eyes – and your hands – off each other for a moment, you might like to check out our victim,' Esposito said from his vantage point on top of an upturned packing case beside a dumpster.

'And good morning to you. What have we got?' Kate asked, handing Castle her coffee and using his shoulder for support to hoist herself up.

'Whoa, Beckett, careful!' Esposito grabbed her arm as she clambered up beside him and she lifted her brows, intercepting him frowning down at Castle who looked as surprised as she felt. She covered her nose with her hand as an overpowering stench hit her.

'You okay?'

'I've smelt a lot worse.'

'But not when you're…' He didn't finish the sentence and she snapped her brows together, confused and not a little irritated by his sudden concern, but her attention was drawn to the naked body lying face down amid a pile of decaying vegetables. 'Oh. That's new.'

'What? What is it? I can't see.' Castle was bouncing on his toes like an over-excited schoolboy.

'Easy tiger – or should I say Tigger – this might be too much for you.' Kate exchanged a knowing look with Esposito, keeping a finger under her nose and driving Castle into a frenzy of anticipation.

He cast around for something to stand on and spied a wooden box about half the height of the packing case.

'Crime scene, Castle,' Kate shouted at him as he dragged it across the alley.

'It's okay. The CSI team are done and I think Castle should see this,' said Lanie, appearing from behind the dumpster.

'What? What? Oh!'

Kate watched his face as he gazed into the dumpster.

'A stiletto I believe,' she said, with a smirk.

'A Louboutin to be precise!' Castle's face lit up with excitement at the sight of the patent black leather shoe with just a glimpse of its red sole visible where the heel widened. The rest of the slender heel was buried deep in the victims back.

'That's what he said.' Esposito tossed his head in the direction of Ryan who had joined the group, notepad and pen in hand. 'Guys aren't supposed to know that stuff.'

'If you lived with Beckett, you'd know.' Castle stared down, transfixed by the body, completely missing Kate's shocked look.

She flickered her eyes at her colleagues but none of them seemed surprised at his words and after all, it was true; they were, to all intents and purposes, living together.

'Let that be a warning to you, Richard Castle,' Lanie said.

'Beckett would never stab me in the back.'

Castle kept his eyes on the body and Kate couldn't resist a little dig at his confidence.

'True. I wouldn't waste my Louboutins on your _back_.'

His dancing eyes spun round to hers, his mouth opened into a scandalised O and Kate blushed.

'I didn't mean… You know… This really is the stuff of detective novels, wouldn't you say?' Kate said, deciding to ignore the amused looks of her colleagues and jumping down from the packing case, landing perfectly on her stilettos, taken aback as both Ryan and Lanie reached out as if to catch her. What was wrong with them, treating her as if she were some rookie instead of a veteran of more murder scenes than any of them?

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of movement behind a bin that suddenly became a black clad figure moving at speed towards the street

'Hey! Stop!' She took off in pursuit, sure footed as ever, but the person swerved in front of a car that screeched to a halt and Kate ran right into the side of it. Two uniforms had seen what was happening and continued the chase as Kate doubled up on the sidewalk, hands on her legs.

'Beckett? You okay?' Ryan was beside her in seconds, closely followed by Lanie.

Castle trailed behind at a trot. He wasn't unduly worried having seen her cope with much worse.

'We'd better get you to hospital,' said Lanie, draping an arm across her.

Kate stood up breathing hard. 'What? Hospital? I'm fine. Just winded,' she gasped.

'You can't be too careful, honey. You should have a scan.'

'Huh?' Kate was regaining control of her breathing.

'She's fine. You're fine right, Kate?' Castle said, reeling sideways as Esposito punched him on the arm. 'Ow! What was that for?'

'You should be taking better care of her, man,' Esposito shouted.

'What the… You know she hates a fuss…' He rubbed his arm, stepping back from Esposito.

'You've got responsibilities now. You've got a baby to think about.' He squared up to Castle who took a step back before stopping, mesmerised.

'A baby? What are you talking about? You mean… Beckett's pregnant? You're pregnant and you didn't tell me?' He voice rose to a squeak and he turned to Kate astonishment and shock in his eyes.

'Pregnant? What the… I'm not pregnant!' Kate took a deep breath, shock and anger warring with each other.

Castle shook his head in disbelief and closed his mouth, spinning back to look down and Esposito.

'Kate is _not_ pregnant. I _would_ know.'

'Thank you. Is that why you guys have been behaving so weird? You think I'm pregnant? What the…' Anger was winning the battle and she turned blazing eyes onto her colleagues, shaking off Lanie's arm. She edged automatically towards Castle who had done the same and they stood side by side facing the other three.

'See! I told you. But you had to keep on, didn't you?' Esposito suddenly turned his ire on Ryan who held up his hands.

'Hey, Javi, all the signs were there. Beckett, one day you were miserable and the next you're laughing to yourself…'

'You were laughing to yourself?' Castle interrupted and she knew she was going to take a while to live that down.

'… and Castle was all caring and soppy…'

'Hey! I'm always caring but never soppy.' If Castle was enjoying this she was going to make him suffer later. Or maybe not so later.

…and then you were sick…'

'Hangover, Ryan, I told you,' Kate said.

'I thought that was just a cover.' He had the decency to look sheepish, his blue eyes falling away, unable to meet Kate's fierce glare.

'A cover? You may have learnt nearly everything I have to teach Grasshopper. Ow!' Kate's elbow dug sharply into Castle's ribs.

'And Lanie said…'

'Lanie! You thought I was… Why?' That Ryan could be fool enough to get some silly idea in his head and Esposito might be idiot enough to follow, Kate could believe. That her friend – and Medical Examiner no less – should also fall for something so ridiculous she found unbelievable. Or she would have if Lanie hadn't looked so abashed.

'You were so sick, Kate, and then you said you were blissfully happy…'

'You did? Blissfully?' Castle hugged her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She pushed him away violently but didn't miss his misty eyes and satisfied smile and, mad as she was, she had to bite her lip to stop an answering grin reaching her face.

'You've got to admit, Kate,' Lanie pleaded, 'ever since you decided not to take that DC job, you have been particularly cheerful.'

'Yeah, she has, hasn't she? But we're not pregnant, we're… Ow! That really hurt. Will you stop assaulting me!' He rubbed his leg where she'd kicked him.

'I didn't be….' Esposito chimed in but Kate cut him off.

'Quiet! All of you.' She glared at each of them in turn reducing all three to the appearance of contrite school kids in the principal's office.

'We'll see you back at the precinct. Castle, come on.' She spun on her heel and set such a rapid pace back to the car, Castle had to trot a couple of steps to catch up after he'd handed their now cold coffees to Ryan.

'_We're _not pregnant, Castle_?_ _We?'_ she hissed.

'Well, if you were, which you're not, I guess I'd be involved. Unless there's something you want to tell me.'

Kate stopped to look at him and opened and closed her mouth before striding on.

'And you'd have told them we're engaged if I hadn't stopped you.'

'Assaulted me, you mean. I'm going to have so many bruises. But that was a mistake. It just slipped out. Nearly slipped out so thank you for kicking me but did it have to be so hard?'

When they got into the car, she hit the steering wheel in frustration. Idiots. How dare they think that? She pulled out into the traffic that was already beginning to build up towards rush hour, waiting for Castle to start gloating about her being _blissful_ and _particularly cheerful_ and, what was it Ryan had said? _Laughing to herself_. But he was unusually silent and she stole a glance at him at a red signal. Most of the time she could read him like one of his books but sometimes, often at crucial times, she managed to miss the signals. His initial shock had quickly been exchanged for pleasure in the absurdity of the situation and enjoyment of hearing why their friends had reached the conclusion that she was pregnant. But now a pensive air had settled over him and her own irritation was forgotten as she wondered what was wrong. Not so long ago she might have left it, not wanting to know what was bothering him in case it was something she didn't want to deal with, but they'd come a long way in a short time and she wasn't going to let this – whatever _this_ might be – fester. She spotted a diner opening its doors for the day and swung into a parking space.

'Beckett?'

'Coffee. I need coffee.'

They got out of the car and she laced her fingers through his and led him towards the diner.

She chose a table at the back, wanting both privacy and few distractions.

'You don't think we should get it to-go? A body has just dropped.'

She shook her head. 'This is more important. Besides, i don't want to see Esposito and Ryan again yet.'

They ordered their drinks and she reached across the table to take his hand.

'So, what is it?' She searched his face and her stomach did a little flip when she saw sadness in his eyes. They'd had enough of that recently and had somehow come out stronger than ever. She wasn't going to lose that now.

'Nothing,' he said with a smile but it didn't reach his eyes and she knew it was forced. She cocked her head to one side and didn't take her eyes off his.

'Really, Kate, it's nothing. Just…'

She squeezed his hand in encouragement and he sighed.

'It's just, you were really angry that they thought you we pregnant.'

'I was. It was a ridiculous idea.'

'Right. Ridiculous.' He nodded and bit his lip.

'I'm not pregnant, so it is ridiculous.'

'Because you're not or because you don't want to be?'

Kate took a sharp intake of breath. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about in a diner but she'd started it so…

'I don't want to be _now_, Rick,' she said quietly.

'Now?' His eyes widened in hope and he tugged her hand towards him across the table.

'We're just getting started and I think we should have some time to ourselves, don't you? And I know we haven't talked about it but if you want to…'

'Talk about it?'

'I think that's what we're doing, isn't it? So, if you want to have kids – more kids – I would er… I'd like to…'

'You would?' His expressive eyes were suddenly full of wonder.

'I would,' she said, with a blush, dropping her head and peeping at him through her lashes.

He ran his teeth over his bottom lip and his smile crinkled his whole face, warming her heart and drawing an equally joyous reaction from her but, as their coffees arrived his smile disappeared and he swallowed convulsively.

'Oh crap!'

'What?'

'Esposito said I have responsibilities now. You know who else talked about my responsibilities?'

'Gates,' they said together.

**I didn't want this to get too serious but babies are a big subject and I didn't want to ignore it. The story isn't going to become case heavy but this idea of death by shoe came to me and I couldn't resist. Many thanks again to all you reviewers. I'm trying to reply to you all but it's taking a long time so please forgive me if I haven't. And a big thank you to all the guest reviewers to whom I can't respond individually. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long wait for this update. I've been travelling and had no time to write. Very frustrating! I've written this in a hurry and I'm not confident that it is much good. Please let me know what you think. Thanks so much for continuing to read what I write and for your reviews. Feedback makes all the difference. Time spent tapping away at keys on your laptop can be lonely if you don't know what your readers think.**

Castle sat on the desk in front of the murder board. This was the sort of case that excited and inspired him. An unidentified naked man with a Louboutin in his back and a story waiting to be unravelled. That alone should be enough incentive to for a mystery writer to spend his time at the 12th precinct, but the real reason he'd been turning up day after day for five years was sitting beside him, her arm brushing his, cradling her coffee in her hands and looking adorable as she tried to piece together the puzzle that was emerging. He loved to watch Kate Beckett at work. Her eyes were a window, not just to her heart, but also to the workings of her amazing mind.

'I can feel you watching me, Castle. You're supposed to be working on some wild and outrageous theory that will ultimately solve this case, not doing the creepy staring thing.'

'Not creepy.'

'Cute creepy, but still creepy.' She turned her attention from the board to look at him, her eyebrows twitching up. 'What is it?'

'I can't stop thinking that we're going to have a baby,' he said, lowering his voice on the last word.

'Castle! Have you lost your mind? I'm not pregnant, remember,' she hissed, checking over her shoulder for anyone close enough to hear.

'Yes, but one day, you will be.'

The corners of her mouth turned up and her eyes softened. 'Yeah. Hopefully. In the meantime, we need to work out how to deal with Gates.'

'Tricky. You need to talk to her.'

'No. You'll have to do it,' she said, shaking her head.

'Me? Why me?' he protested.

'She talked to you about it. She hasn't said a thing to me.'

'But she didn't actually say anything about you being… you know. I can't just walk in and say "just thought I'd mention that Detective Beckett isn't pregnant", can I?' he said, dropping his voice to a whisper.

'Well, what are we going to do? We can't have her thinking… _that_.'

She crossed her arms and stared at him and he understood what was expected. The woman he was going to marry, who only a few hours ago had told him that she wanted to bear his children, the woman he loved, needed him to solve this problem. And he wanted to be that man, he really did. He wanted to be able to walk in to Captain Gates office and tell her that what he thought she was thinking was wrong. He wished he could but…

'We should just do nothing,' he said taking a slurp of coffee.

'What? How does that work?'

'Kate, one thing I can tell you about pregnancy is that eventually it becomes obvious to everyone.'

'But it could be months before she realises.'

'We should use that to our advantage. She did say that, in the circumstances, she'd give us some leeway. A bit of workplace physical contact would be understandable if your hormones were raging and if you felt like throwing up all the time.' He rested his hand on her knee and slowly stroked up her tight black jeans, his fingers moulding to the shape of her thigh, only to have his hand smacked away.

'Stop it!' She glared at him and shuffled a little further along the desk. 'This isn't funny, Castle. We can't just ignore it.'

'I know! We can get Esposito to say something. Or Ryan. Or both. They do owe us big time.' His eyes lit up. This was a very good idea. He could write them a script.

She tutted, rolling her eyes at him and as he watched he saw her start to worry at her lip and the anxiety grow on her face. Her hand was holding the edge of the table in the gap between their legs and he covered it with his own. She held his gaze and this time didn't pull away.

'Hey, he said gently, 'don't worry. We'll sort it out. When she says something, it'll give us the chance to tell her the truth.' He squeezed her hand and she threaded her fingers through his and nudged his shoulder with her own.

'I guess there's not much else we can do.'

'Not yet but we'll figure it out. Together. Like always.'

He was relieved to see her relax and return his smile and he took a shaky breath as she stopped chewing her lip, her teeth resting on her bottom lip, her eyes flicking from his eyes to his mouth. There was nothing as hot as Kate Beckett getting hot for him.

With another glance around, she put her mouth close to his ear. 'Maybe a little inappropriate work place touching isn't such a bad idea.'

'Break room in two?' He swallowed and jumped down from the table, fumbling to delve into his pocket as his phone started to ring.

'Alexis,' he said, looking at the screen. 'Hey sweetie, how's Costa Rica._Oh, no. How did that happen?_Aghh! Poor girl._ You did? _ You're where?_ Now? Really? Of course. I'm on my way_ See you soon._ Love you too.'

He turned to Kate who had been watching him, her own face mirroring his own concern as she listened.

'Is she okay?'

'Yeah, she's fine, but one of the other students has broken her leg and the airline wouldn't let her fly alone so Alexis came with her. She didn't have a chance to call before she boarded the plane. She's just landed and I'm going to pick her up now. She'll just stay a day or two before going back to Costa Rica. Sorry,' he added with a glance at the break room.

'Probably just as well. We can make up for it later. Go. Go on. Don't keep her waiting.'

'See you at home,' he said, over his shoulder as he trotted to the elevator.

She grinned at his retreating back. She loved how excited he was at the prospect of seeing his daughter. Witnessing Richard Castle in his role as caring and loving father had been a revelation; a turning point in how she viewed him. It had been the moment that she'd realised that there were hidden depths to the man and that playboy author was part of a façade. She closed her eyes and gave her head a little shake, smiling to herself as she tried to imagine what she would have said four years ago if someone had told her that he would be the man she'd want to have children with; the man she was going to marry. When she opened her eyes, Ryan and Esposito were standing in front of the murder board looking at her.

'What?' she snapped. She had forgiven them for jumping to ludicrous conclusions, partly because they had been wandering around looking like embarrassed teenagers all day, but also because it wasn't so ridiculous to imagine that she and Castle were making babies. But she wasn't going to let them off the hook yet, particularly as they'd just found her smiling to herself again.

* * *

Castle finished loading Alexis' laundry into the washing machine and then started clearing up the kitchen. She'd been waiting for him at the airport, her charge having been handed over to the safe custody of her parents, and she hadn't stopped talking about the excitement of studying the Costa Rican jungle through the whole drive home. When they'd got back to the loft, she'd interrupted her discourse to feast on popcorn and ice-cream before handing him the bag of dirty clothes she'd thoughtfully remembered to bring with her and heading up for a shower. Sometimes she was as much of a whirlwind as her grandmother who would probably be returning from the Hamptons any moment now. Martha had diplomatically decided that she'd like a few days out of Manhattan, undiplomatically saying that she'd leave them alone to celebrate their engagement as enthusiastically as they wished. But as soon as he'd told her he was on his way to pick up Alexis at the airport, she'd left the coast for the city and, as he threw away the empty chocolate ice-cream pot, he heard her key in the door.

'Richard, darling, where's our girl?' she said, walking across to kiss him on the cheek.

'In the shower. She's eaten everything in the kitchen and given me her dirty washing so she's fine. How are you, Mother?'

'Fine, but more to the point, how is your fiancée?'

'Shhh! Keep your voice down.'

'You haven't told Alexis?' She put down her bright green handbag on a kitchen stool and sat on another, looking at him questioningly across the counter.

'I'm waiting until Kate's home so we can tell her together.' He poured coffee for both of them and passed her a mug.

'Hmm. So kiddo, you're happy?'

'I am, Mom. How could I not be?'

'Well, I couldn't be happier for you. Katherine is a remarkable woman. Nothing like your previous two wives, thank heavens.'

'I know. I can't believe she said yes.'

'Tell me how you got from doubting whether you could ever trust her again to asking her to marry you.'

He glanced towards the stairs and, confident that Alexis wasn't about to appear, he leant his elbows on the counter.

'It's all thanks to you. You made me think about what was holding me back and I realised I was scared. Scared she didn't want the same thing. I was terrified that if I pushed too hard, I'd lose her.'

'And what about the job?'

'She'd already decided that she didn't want it but I would have gone with her if I had to.'

She reached out to cover his hand.

'Good man, Richard. I'm proud of you.'

'And once we've told Alexis, we can…'

'Told me what? Grams!' His daughter danced down the stairs and into her grandmother's embrace.

'Told me what, Dad?' she repeated, sitting next to Martha, 'And don't say nothing.'

'I won't because it's definitely not nothing. Later.'

'Is it bad?'

'No, it's great, but you'll have to wait until this evening,' Castle smiled at her. He was confident that she'd be happy for him but he hoped that she'd be more than that. He wanted her to be happy for all of them.

Alexis looked from her father to her grandmother and shrugged, reassured enough to regale Martha with tales of her adventures.

* * *

Kate hesitated when she got to the door of the loft. She chewed at her thumb knuckle that was already reddened from anxious gnawing in the taxi. She'd agreed with Castle on the phone that they'd tell Alexis tonight. It was, he'd said, perfect. Once they'd told Alexis, they could tell everyone. What did she think about a party? Only if she wanted one, of course. Whatever she wanted. A party would be great, she'd said, and she meant it. Nerve-wracking, but great. Telling the rest of the world, even Gates, seemed like such an easy thing to do compared to telling his daughter, but she couldn't say that to him. Even in the new spirit of openness, she wasn't going to risk saying anything that might be construed of criticism of his daughter. She been nervous about telling their parents but in a good way. She'd known that Jim and Martha would be happy for them. Her dad liked Castle and thought he was good for her, and she knew that Martha liked her too. But Alexis was a different matter. She had no real idea about what the girl thought about her relationship with her father. With her stomach doing somersaults, she turned the key and let herself in.

'Katherine, darling, you're home. Champagne? We're celebrating Alexis brief return to us.'

Martha swept her into a hug and pressed a glass into her hand but Kate put it down, memories of her hangover still fresh.

'Thank you but maybe later, Martha. Hey, Alexis, how are you?' Kate asked. To her own ears, her greeting sounded a little forced and it must, she thought, sound that way to the girl too because her eyes narrowed even as she smiled.

They had an awkward hug and Kate was relieved when Castle joined them from the study full of news of Alexis in Costa Rica. Conversation flowed freely as they all enjoyed Castle's delicious spaghetti carbonara. The story of how Alexis' fellow student had broken her leg while running away from a snake that was actually a branch was repeated for Kate's benefit along with other tales of giant spiders and amazing lizards that had Kate laughing heartily at Castle's cringing.

'So, why did you decide to volunteer to come back with Fiona?' Kate asked.

Alexis paused before answering. 'Honestly, Detective Beckett, I was a bit worried about Dad. He seemed sad before I left and I just wanted to check he was okay.'

Her grandmother's and father's faces confirmed that this was the first time they had heard this. Martha raised her brows and Castle opened and closed his mouth without saying anything. Kate hadn't failed to notice that the redhead had called her Detective Beckett. Neither had she missed the challenge in the girl's eyes.

'I wasn't exactly sad, Alexis,' Castle said, reaching out to take Kate's trembling fingers in his strong hand, 'but I was nervous. You see, I'd decided to ask Kate something and I wasn't sure what she was going to say.'

Kate's hand convulsed in his and he tightened his grip.

'Luckily for me, she said yes. Kate and I are getting married.'

Kate's breath was shaky and she swallowed the lump that had risen to the top of her throat as silence fell across the table. It felt like everyone was holding their breath waiting for an explosion.

'You're engaged? That's what you were going to tell me?'

She looked from one to the other. Kate felt like she'd been turned to stone. She wanted to nod but she couldn't move. She was thankful when she saw Castle's head bob up and down.'

You're not pregnant?' She turned to Kate.

'N..no.' Kate forced the word out.

'That's wonderful. Congratulations!' She was up and hugging first Kate and then her father.

'Why does everyone think I'm pregnant?' asked Kate when the excitement calmed down.

'Well, Dad said he had something to tell me and then you didn't have any champagne and I just thought… When's the wedding?'

* * *

Later, Kate lay awake as Castle slept soundly beside her, wondering what his daughter's reaction would have been if she was going to have a baby.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

'Beckett-Castle, Castle-Beckett or just Castle? Or Beckett? What do you think? If you choose Castle, should I call you Castle or Beckett? It might get confusing if I call you Castle and you call me Castle so whatever you decide I think I'd better carry on calling you Beckett…'

Castle was sitting on the edge of the bed, one shoe on, the other suspended in mid-air, as he contemplated this tricky question.

'Castle, shut up,' Kate said her words muffled by the toast she was eating.

She dipped down to silence him with a kiss as she leant across to pick up her coffee.

'Yum. Pre-masticated toast. Tasty,' he said licking his lips and unsuccessfully trying to catch her hips before she twisted away.

'You are gross and if you don't get a move on, you're going to be late for your meeting with Paula.'

'Oh, crap.' He checked his watch and bounded up, stumbling across the room towards his office as he shoved his foot into his shoe.

'Are you sure you're okay with taking Alexis to the airport?' he called.

'Sure. The boys have got everything covered at the precinct. We can't do much more until the warrant comes through and that's not going happen before lunch. And I can stop at the morgue on the way back to see if Lanie's got anything new.'

As he was out of sight, she allowed herself a little grimace. She didn't relish a long drive alone with Alexis but it was her own fault. He'd looked so sad when he'd said that he'd have to book a town car because neither he nor Martha could take the girl to the airport and the words were out of her mouth before she realised what she was saying. Last night his breathtaking smile and misty eyes had seemed like ample reward but in the cold light of day with the clock ticking down to her forced confinement with her step-daughter-to-be, she'd wished she'd kept her mouth firmly closed.

He spun back into the bedroom, stopping in front of her to brush her cheek with his fingers and to lightly graze his lips over hers.

'Thank you.' He rested his forehead on hers and she marvelled at how such a little gesture could make him so happy and she forced down her qualms, turning her head up to him to kiss him back.

'Always,' she murmured against his lips before pushing him towards the door. She followed him out and watched as he wrapped Alexis in a bear hug.

'Don't break any bones, get bitten by any snakes, touch any spiders, get…'

'Dad, I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few weeks. Now go. You know what Paula's like if you're late.'

He kissed her head and released her.

'Love you.'

'Love you too, Dad. Go!'

Alexis shook her head as he shut the door and Kate joined her, united for a moment by their shared affection for the man.

'So. Ready?' Kate asked. She nodded and swung her rucksack onto her shoulder.

* * *

They filled the early part of the journey with inconsequential small talk, mostly about what Alexis planned to do in her second year at Columbia. As they joined the Grand Central Parkway silence fell and Kate wondered when her relationship with the girl sitting beside her had changed. In the early days, when Castle had first started to follow her, Alexis had shown some signs of hero worship and she'd sometimes even asked for her advice. As she'd grown into a young woman, she'd become more distant and, if she'd had to describe the redhead's attitude towards her since she'd been in a relationship with her father, wary tolerance about summed it up. She had no doubt that Alexis was concerned that she'd hurt her father and she understood that but she didn't know how to reassure her.

'Kate, can I ask you something?'

Kate had lost herself in her thoughts and came back to the present with a start. She felt a glimmer of satisfaction that over the last couple of days the girl had formed the habit of using her first name, but that vied with a quiver of trepidation about what might be coming.

'Anything,' she answered. Taking her eyes off the road for a second to glimpse to her right. Alexis was staring straight ahead, looking both nervous and determined.

'Why do you want to marry my dad?'

That was easy.

'Because I love him,' she replied simply.

'You've had other boyfriends. Did you love them?'

Another easy one.

'No. Until I met your dad I don't think I really understood what love is, Alexis.'

'He's really happy.'

'So am I.'

'But you haven't always made him happy.'

Kate inhaled deeply. That was trickier but she knew that she needed to be truthful.

'I know and I'm very sorry about that. Relationships can be difficult and I can't promise you that we'll always be happy but I can tell you that, more than anything, I hate to make your father sad and I'm going to try really hard not to do that.' She swallowed and stole another glance at the girl.

'Good,' Alexis said. She smiled and Kate nodded and grinned back before returning her attention to the road.

The traffic was building up as they neared the airport and, as she negotiated her way through the press of vehicles, she bit her lip wondering about asking the question that had been bothering her since they'd told Alexis that they were engaged. She knew it would be safer not to risk shaking the solid ground that they had just established but it was eating away at her and she'd rather know the answer than let it grow into a canker.

'May I ask _you_ something, Alexis?'

'Sure.' Her bright blue eyes were wide and honest, just like her father's.

'You thought I was pregnant the other night.'

'Yeah. I'm sorry about that.'

'It's okay but I just wondered…' Kate couldn't finish and questioned, as she had more than once with Alexis, which of them was actually the adult.

'I know that you and Dad might have kids one day and that's fine. More than fine. It'd be great. I'd love a sister. Or brother. But I didn't want it to be the reason for you to be together.'

Another glance in her direction, showed Kate that she was looking down at her hands, her pale cheeks flushed. Kate reached out to briefly touch her hand.

'I wouldn't have wanted that either.'

They shared another smile and both laughed as they heard each other let out a sigh.

'You still haven't decided a date?' Alexis asked, relaxing against the seat.

'We haven't decided anything yet. We've still got to tell everyone.'

'You sound worried.'

'Only about Captain Gates. Your father and I may not be able to work with each other anymore.'

'Would that be really so bad?'

'I just know that I'd miss him so much, I'm not even sure that I'd want to carry on without him. I guess that sounds pathetic.'

'No. It sounds really sweet. Maybe, if you don't mind, when I'm back, I could help you with planning the wedding?' she asked shyly.

'That would be fantastic. I'm really worried that your dad will get carried away and we'll end up getting married on the top of the Empire State Building.'

They laughed together again and chatted easily for the rest of the journey.

'Can I ask you one more thing, Alexis?' Kate said as she heaved the rucksack onto the trolley outside the terminal. Alexis nodded.

'Would you… I'd like you to… If you don't want to…'

'Kate, what is it?'

'I'd love it if you'd be a bridesmaid.'

Alexis hugged her tightly and she returned the embrace.

'Thank you. I'd love it too. And thanks for bringing me to the airport. I really enjoyed our chat.' She balanced her jacket on top of her bags and turned towards the sliding doors.

'Don't let Dad do anything crazy while I'm gone. Bye,' she called, as the doors closed behind her.

Kate smiled to herself as she got back into the car. If she and little Castle could be friends, big Castle would be a very happy man. She knew it was a going to be a juggling act for a while. She'd have to be careful not to overstep boundaries but she thought they were at least on the right foot now.

Before she drove off, she sent a text to Castle to let him know that Alexis was on her way and she heard him ping back as she moved out of the drop off area.

* * *

'Hey Lanie. Is that stiletto man you've got your arms in?'

'It sure is. Good morning. You're glowing, like you've had a very good morning already.' She raised her brows enquiringly.

'I've just dropped Alexis at the airport.' Kate rolled her eyes at her friend.

'Well that's very domestic, isn't it?'

'Find anything interesting?' Kate asked, ignoring the Medical Examiner's searching look.

'Well, I can tell you what the murder weapon was.' Lanie removed her hands from inside the body cavity and peeled off her gloves, clicking a button on her keyboard to bring up a mock-up of a knife.

'Not a six inch heel?'

'Nope. He was stabbed with a hunting style knife like this one and the Louboutin – and can I just say what a waste of a beautiful shoe – was inserted into the wound after he was dead. The post mortem bruising indicates that there was a lot of weight in the whole shoe at the time.'

'You mean someone was wearing the shoe? Castle's going to love this.'

'Where is writer boy this morning?'

'Meeting his agent. And speak of the devil.' Her phone started to ring and his picture flashed up.

'Hey Castle. Alexis is fine. I dropped her… _Oh, your not? Really?_Yeah, I'm with Lanie now._ Did I…? No!'

'Oh my God. Kate Beckett, is that…?' Lanie exclaimed, grabbing the hand that was holding the phone.

'Gotta go,' Kate called, her mouth following the phone.

She tried to pull her hand away but she was too late. Lanie was turning it over, her jaw open, staring at Kate's ring.

'You're engaged? You're going to marry Richard Castle and you didn't tell me? When did this happen?'

'Just a few days ago…'

'You've been engaged for days and you didn't tell me?' Lanie repeated, putting one hand on the hip she'd thrust forward but maintaining her hold on Kate's hand with the other.

'I couldn't, Lanie. We wanted to tell Alexis first.' Kate pulled her hand free and, pushing her phone in pocket, she removed the ring.

'Katherine Beckett, what are you doing?'

'I don't want Gates to see.'

'You can't hide this for long, you know.'

'I know. Lanie, please don't tell anyone. Especially Esposito. We're going to have a party. At least, that's what Castle wants…'

She couldn't finish because Lanie pulled her to her and hugged her tight.

'I'm so happy for you, Honey. You two are made for each other. That's why you said you were blissful.' She took her by the shoulders and held her away so that she could look at her.

Kate nodded shyly, her eyes welling up with tears of happiness.

'You _will_ tell me everything, girl. And I mean _everything_.'

**Thanks for your continuing love of this story and particular thanks to whomever mentioned it on twitter. I don't tweet and I'm not good at self-publicity so I'm really grateful when others do it on my ****behalf. More soon...**


	8. Chapter 8

**I was asked for some more Caskett, so here it is. not too mushy, I hope, and hastily written as I'm on the road again tomorrow. If you enjoy it, let me know. and if you don't tell me that too. I hate to disappoint.**

Chapter 8

The walk-in queue of hopefuls waiting for a seat at the bar at The Dutch reached all the way to the door. Castle excused himself as he edged past into the see-and-be-seen front dining room. He'd reserved a table in the back room, away from curious passers-by and prowling gossip columnists on the hunt for a scoop.

'Mr Castle, good evening. Miss Beckett is already here and, I have to say, she's looking particularly lovely this evening.' The waiter indicated a corner table but Castle had already spotted Kate as he'd left the hubbub behind for the subdued hum of their preferred setting.

Her dark blue off the shoulder dress highlighted her flawless skin and elegant neck and, with her hair up, she looked like Audrey Hepburn. He stood and stared for a moment, vaguely aware that his was not the only appreciative look she was attracting. He watched her flick through the menu until she raised her head, checking to see if he'd arrived, and her face was instantly transformed from coolly exquisite into breathtakingly beautiful by her wide smile. More than one head turned to see who had been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of that smile and, had he had eyes for anyone but Kate, Castle would have noticed that his obvious awe in being that lucky man, attracted some grins and whispers. The spell was broken by a waitress trying to pass him with a tray of glasses and he wove his way through the tables to the back of the room, kissing Kate's waiting lips before sitting opposite her.

'You look… Wow!' was all he could say.

'You're looking pretty good yourself,' she said, her eyes drifting down to his crisp white shirt and dark red silk tie.

'I haven't seen you all day. It's too long.' He reached across the table for her left hand and ran his finger over her ring.

'I know. How did your meetings go?'

'Dull but _Deadly Heat_ is good to go now. Anything new on the case? Any ideas on whose foot was in the shoe as the heel sank through Louboutin man's tissue to lodge itself…'

'Okay. Save the graphic descriptions for _Summer Heat,' _she said wrinkling her nose in disgust.

'Oh! Did you just think of that? That is so going to be Nikki's next adventure.'

'Then I definitely want a writer's credit.'

'I'll give you all the credit you want and you can start redeeming your royalties right away.' He flicked his eyebrows at her and she grinned back.

'May I pour your champagne, Mr Castle?' The waiter appeared beside them and they sat back to allow him access to their flutes.

'To us,' Castle said, and they clinked glasses.

'I'll drink to that,' she replied sipping the golden liquid.

They ordered a seafood plate to share and Kate filled him in on the developments in the case as they ate. Castle regaled her with tales of his day with Paula and Gina, making her laugh as only he could.

'When do I get to read _Deadly Heat_?' Kate asked as their desserts arrived.

'The release date is…'

'Castle, you are not going to make me wait until it's published.'

'I can't…'

'That wasn't a question.' She glared at him across the table.

'Oh. That's the look. I do know your look. I guess I can get you an early draft but there'll be a price.'

'Oh really. And what's that?'

He licked his lips and leaned towards her.

'As down payment, I'll accept some of that coconut cream pie. I'll collect the balance later.' He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

'When I start to redeem my royalties?' she said loading her spoon with pie and offering it to him.

'Hmmm. Now that sounds like a plan. So, Lanie knows,' he said, before wrapping his mouth around the spoon.

'She certainly does. I didn't pick up your text until too late and you know what happened when you called.'

She opened her mouth wide and tilted towards him as he proffered a forkful of Devil's Food Cake. She closed her lips around it and pulled her head back slowly, holding his gaze the whole time. He swallowed and shifted in his chair and he could see she knew exactly what she was doing to him and she was enjoying every moment of it. He loosened his tie and she laughed.

'You think she won't tell Esposito?'

'Mmm!' She licked her lips before responding. 'I don't think it'll be long before we become pillow talk. We'll have to tell them soon.'

'I bet Lanie had a few things to say about you not keeping her in the picture.' He winced at the thought. Lanie was a mini-volcano and he didn't envy Kate being in the line of the magma.

'Yeah. But I soothed her with details.'

'Details? Of?'

'Everything.' She gave him a saucy look through her long lashes.

'You mean…'

'Everything, Castle.' She ran her teeth over her bottom lip.

'Kate, you didn't.'

He closed his eyes. How would he ever look Lanie in the eye again knowing that his girlfriend had shared intimate information with her? His eyes snapped open at the sound of Kate's uninhibited laughter.

'No locker room secrets. You're just too easy.'

He narrowed his eyes at her and she grinned back, her laughter subsiding.

'She stopped giving me a hard time when I asked her if she'd be my maid of honour so I already have two bridesmaids.'

'Two? Who's the other one? Madison? I didn't think you'd told anyone else.'

Kate shook her head. 'I haven't. I asked Alexis and she said yes.'

'Alexis? Kate that's… Thank you!' His eyes filled with tears and he took her hand and kissed her palm.

'Well, if it isn't Richard Castle. And who is this beautiful woman with him?' A dark haired woman leered over them like an avaricious weasel, her eyes riveted on their interlinked hands and Kate's ring.

'Freya! How er… lovely to see you. How is business on page six?' Castle said, thrusting Kate's hand towards her with a flash of warning in his eyes.

Kate rested her left hand on her lap, hidden from view and concentrated on her plate.

'Oh you know. Mostly routine with the odd surprise to keep us on our toes.' Her shrewd eyes slowly scanned from Castle to Kate and back, taking in their champagne glasses and desserts plates.

'The sweets here are delicious. I've just finished mine.' She nodded in the direction of a vacant table directly opposite theirs.

'Aren't you going to introduce me, Rick?' She turned all her attention on to Kate. 'Ah, but no need. Detective Beckett if I'm not mistaken. No wonder Rick has all but disappeared from view recently. Enjoy your evening.' She spun on her heel and was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

'Freya Jones. Gossip columnist for the Sunday Journal. I would have appealed to her better side but she doesn't have one.' Castle sighed, watching the woman depart with her much younger male companion.

'Do you think she saw my ring?' Kate asked.

'I'd bet on it. I'm sorry, Kate. I think the whole of the city will be in on our secret engagement by Sunday morning.'

She was chewing her lip, a distant look on her face. Although they'd been together a year, they'd kept a low profile and Kate hadn't had to contend with the sort of media attention that came with being the girlfriend of a best selling author with a playboy reputation. He knew that she'd hate it. It was another of the things they'd never talked about.

'Let's go home, Castle,' she said, twisting the ring on her finger.

* * *

It was a warm evening and Castle took off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. He silently cursed Freya Jones and her fellow scandalmongers for ruining Kate's mood and their evening. The street was busy with Soho strollers and he wanted to put his arm around his fiancée but instead he walked beside her, arms not quite touching, respecting their self imposed rules of no PDAs in fashionable public areas where they might attract the sort of attention they'd rather avoid.

'Kate?' he said.

'Hmm?' she responded, absently.

'I can hear you thinking.'

'Hmm.'

'I'm so sorry about that woman.'

'Castle, it's not your fault.' She surprised him by slipping her arm through his.

'Kate?' he questioned and she looked up at him and shrugged, delighting him when he saw her lips twitch upwards at the corners.

'We're blown anyway. We might as well relax.' She lifted herself onto her toes to give him a quick kiss and leant her head on his shoulder. 'I don't want our friends to hear about our engagement on page six. We need a plan.'

'I was thinking about that. Party tomorrow night? It's short notice but I think most people will be curious enough to cancel anything else so they can come.'

'You do, ha? You don't think it's just a little self-centred to think everyone will drop everything to be at your party?'

'Wait and see.'

'Jackass!'

'Ruggedly handsome, rich and famous jackass if you don't mind.'

She rolled her eyes at him and snuggled closer and he rearranged their arms so he could hug her shoulders and she looped her arm around his waist, her fingers burrowing under his waistband.

'You're amazing.'

'Huh?'

'I know how much you hate being in the limelight and you've just shrugged off being eyeballed by the biggest gossip in town.'

'I'm not looking forward to it but I knew that was part of the package. If you can deal with my baggage I can handle yours.'

He pulled her even closer and kissed her hair and they walked on in companionable silence. The flow of pedestrians thinned to a trickle as they turned on to Broome Street. This was, Castle decided, about as good as it gets. Dinner for two with this incredible woman and then walking home together on a late spring evening.

'You should just move the rest of your stuff into the loft, you know.' He felt her tense and immediately regretted opening his mouth. 'I mean… if you…that is… er…

'Um… You mean… Can I just think about it a bit?'

'Sure.'

He tried to hide his disappointment. They were both slipping into old habits. Despite almost losing her because he was scared to push, he wished he hadn't suggested this next step in their relationship because he was still frightened that she might run. And despite her apparent commitment – a very major commitment – she wasn't yet ready for the obvious next step.

Ouch!' He felt her fingers dig into his side and he squirmed.

'Relax. It's a good idea.'

'It is?'

'It is! I'll need to give my landlord notice but maybe we could start moving my stuff in at the weekend.'

'Are you sure, Kate?'

'Are you rescinding your invitation?'

'No! Definitely not, but I don't want to push you…'

'In that case, thank you very much, Mr Castle, I'll love to move in with you.'

'You would, Detective Beckett?'

'I would indeed, Mr Castle.'

She beamed up at him as they entered his building and they retained eye contact as they crossed the lobby, much to the amusement of John, the doorman on duty, who might as well not have been there for all the attention they paid to him. As the elevator doors closed, Castle bent to kiss Kate but she stopped him with both hands on his broad chest.

'Where are you going to put your stuff?' she asked.

'Huh?' was all he said struggling to concentrate on words when her lips were so full and moist and parted just enough so he could see her the tip of her tongue.

'To make room for my stuff. Where's your stuff going?'

He forced himself to focus on what she was saying.

'There's plenty of room for your stuff and my stuff, Kate.' He pulled her towards him but she turned her head away, looking thoughtfully into the corner of the elevator.

'What about my posters and paintings?'

'Lots of walls, Kate, don't worry.' He moved in again but the doors slid open on their floor and she was out of his arms and in the corridor before he could grab her.

He followed her to the door, his nose twitching in frustration, but she had her key in the lock and was letting them in before he could catch her.

'I was thinking that we could take down the elephant in the bedroom and replace it with one of mine. What do you think?'

'Um.' He paused in his pursuit of her. He hadn't thought about her things replacing his and he was momentarily taken aback. He had things the way he liked them in the loft. 'Fine,' he shrugged his shoulders as she turned to look at him from the bedroom door.

'Fine?'

'Yeah. Fine. Whatever you want, Kate. So long as you're here, I don't care.'

She put her head to one side and her eyes crinkled as she gazed at him with what looked like wonder.

'You'd let me rearrange your loft?'

He shook his head. 'No, you can rearrange _our _loft.'

She reached up to cup his cheek with her hand, stroking her thumb across his lips.

'You really are amazing.'

'I know.'

She pinched his cheek.

'I was only kidding, Castle. I love the loft the way it is.'

A strand of hair had escaped from her bun and he eased it behind her ear. 'We can talk about whatever changes you want to make tomorrow. In the meantime…'

He kissed his way down her neck to her bare shoulder and felt her shudder against him in response.

She took his hand and walked backwards into the bedroom. He caught up with her by the bed and turned his attention to her other shoulder, marvelling as she turned her head to allow him access all the way up her neck.

'Castle,' she murmured.

'Yes, Kate,' he breathed below her ear.

'Castle at home and Beckett at work,' she mumbled, her lips and tongue edged along below his jaw.

'Huh?'

'Mrs Castle at home and Detective Beckett at work. What do you think?' Her lips had reached the corner of his mouth and he claimed them with his own.

'Perfect,' he said and he teased open her lips with his tongue while deftly unzipping her dress, determined to show how just how perfect it was.


	9. Chapter 9

Kate quietly shut the bedroom door behind her, buttoning up Castle's now far from crisp white shirt that she'd picked up from the floor on her way out, she padded soundlessly across to the kitchen to make coffee, a pre-dawn glow in the sky breaking through the gloom to give the loft a colourless otherworldly hue. She'd woken with her cheek resting on his chest, her body laying claim to what was hers, one arm thrown across him and a leg draped over his thigh, just a single sheet covering them, the rest of the bedclothes discarded somewhere on the floor. She had stayed there for a while, enjoying the feel of him, strong and vibrant even in sleep, eventually slipping down to lie beside him but retaining contact, arm against arm and leg alongside leg. She'd closed her eyes and waited to drift back to sleep, wrapped in the comfort of the memory of their date night and its inevitable conclusion, but sleep wouldn't come as her brain insisted on letting in the pointed face of Freya whatever her name was, thrusting itself between them. She had lain awake beside him for she didn't know how long until she couldn't stay still any longer and had reluctantly left him alone in their warm bed for the solitude of the living room.

She curled up in the corner of the couch, her hands enfolding her mug, knees drawn up to her chest inside the spacious shirt that engulfed her in his scent, teeth worrying at her lower lip as she wondered what New Yorkers would read about her on Sunday morning. It wouldn't be the first time her name had appeared in the newspapers but mostly she'd featured in coverage of one of the many weird and wonderful high profile cases she'd worked over the years. When Castle had first started following her around, the novelty of the best-selling and extremely eligible author working with NYPD had attracted plenty of media interest, with those less news driven reporters inexorably linking her name to Castle's and speculating about their relationship. Ironically, since they'd been together there had been no press conjecture about a romantic link between writer and muse and, on the rare occasions Kate had thought about it, she'd guessed that Castle's role at the 12th had become old news and that people had probably drawn their own conclusions about what was really going on between them and had lost interest. But, she now realised, that had been wishful thinking and she needed to prepare herself for what was to come.

From long before she'd met Castle, she'd known that he was prime material for gossip columnists. Hell, she'd been reading about her favourite writer herself for years. As their friendship had grown, she'd learnt that mostly he didn't court the attention but that wasn't to say that he was above enjoying it sometimes. And somewhere in her mind she'd known that sooner or later this was going to happen, but the longer they'd got away without revealing the real nature of their relationship to the world, the more relaxed she'd become.

'Kate?' Castle was walking towards her from the bedroom, fastening the belt of his grey robe, head to one-side, the serious look on his face belied by his sleep-tousled hair.

She hadn't heard him coming and she started, flinching as some of the coffee slopped on to his shirt and he detoured via the kitchen to pick up a damp cloth.

'Let me get that for you,' he said, taking the mug from her hands and lifting his shirt to wipe her knee.

'You scalded?' he asked, holding the cool cloth against her skin.

'No. It wasn't hot,' she said.

'Hmm. So I see,' he said, covering her knee with the shirt and touching the side of the mug with the back of his hand. 'You okay?'

'It wasn't hot, Castle,' she repeated.

He lifted his brows and looked at her searchingly and she knew that wasn't the okay he meant.

'I'm fine but your shirt may not be. Good morning.' She leaned forward to give him a kiss, her lips lingering on his.

'Are you trying to distract me from the damage to my favourite shirt?' he said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

'Yes,' she replied, kissing his jaw and sitting back into the corner of the couch. 'I'll wash it for you.'

'Umm. Why do I find the thought of you doing my laundry so hot?' He got up, taking her mug with him. 'I'll make us some fresh coffee and you can tell me what's really bothering you.'

'Huh?' She tried to feign ignorance but she knew it was a lost battle. He knew something was up and he wasn't going to let it go.

'Kate, if it's too soon, I'll understand.' She looked up questioningly, meeting his earnest gaze across the room. 'If you're not ready to move in yet…'

'No, Castle, it's not that. I promise,' she interrupted, anxious to reassure him. 'I've felt more at home here than in my apartment for a long time. I've even got more shoes here.'

She was rewarded with the smile that she knew was reserved only for her and he hummed to himself as he made the coffee. As he handed her a fresh cup he sat down beside her, resting a hand on her knee.

'So, what it is, Kate?'

She sighed and had a slurp of the hot liquid.

'Freya thingy.'

'Hey, she can't hurt us.'

'I know that but it's not just her. It's all the Freyas and her ilk. I don't know that I'm ready for all this, Castle.' She rubbed the joint of his thumb with the pad of her own much smaller one.

'I'm sorry, Kate. If I could make it go away I would. We could get away on Sunday. Drive up to the Hamptons maybe.'

She shook her head. 'That would just delay the inevitable. We're going to have to face it sooner or later but I just don't know how to do this.'

He linked his fingers through his and squeezed her hand.

'People have been writing stuff about me for years, some of it true but most of it speculation and occasionally blatant lies. What I've learned is that you have to try to ignore it and sometimes that's really hard. They might comment on our lives but their not part of our lives and we don't have to let them in. We'll rise above it, Kate. You'll stick out that beautiful chin of yours and take my hand and we'll get through this together.'

In the five years she'd known him, she'd never been able to resist earnest Richard Castle. She first seen this side of him when he'd been investigating her mother's case and although she didn't always admit it, he never failed to get under her skin when his blue eyes focussed on hers and convinced her of his sincerity. He had a unique ability to reassure sceptical Kate Beckett that everything would be fine because he was with her and she could trust him. Their interlinked hands were still resting on her knee and she pulled them towards her so she could kiss his palm.

'Thank you.' She beamed at him and he grinned back.

'Always.'

They held each other's gaze for a moment before he disengaged his hand from hers and jumped up.

'Now, as we're up early we can get on with some planning. Let's make a list of everyone we want to come tonight and then we need to think about caterers though I was wondering if we might just make this for our closest friends. Maybe drinks and pizza at The Old Haunt? But if you'd rather a big do now, I know this great party organiser who could pull it all together for us while we find out who did the deed with the red heeled shoe. Whatever you want, Kate.' He'd been speeding around the loft as he talked, picking up a pen and pad and grabbing his phone to click through contacts. She put down her coffee and dropped her feet to the floor, sitting forward, enthused by his energy.

'The Old Haunt sounds perfect.'

'Great. With a party later?' He sat beside her again, pen in hand, eyes alight with eagerness.

'Er... Yeah... Later.'

'So, just The Old Haunt. No party.'

'Castle, I didn't say no party…'

'You said it without saying it and that's fine, Kate. I just want to show you off to the world but I've got two book launches coming up in the next few months and that'll give me a chance to flaunt you. If you don't mind, that is.'

Being flaunted wasn't something that would have ever appealed to her before but there was no doubt about the attraction of appearing in public on the arm of Richard Castle, his head held high and face filled with pride in her.

'Sounds like a plan.' She smiled, her tongue peeping out between her teeth, and arched one brow at him, leaning forward to take the pen out of his hand. 'But it is still very early and pizza and drinks at The Old Haunt won't take much organising so what do you say to postponing this discussion until after we've showered?'

She got to her feet and he took the hand she stretched out to him, pulling her into his arms as he got to his feet.

'Now that is an offer I can't possibly refuse.' He slid his hands inside the back of the shirt, his hands coming to rest on her buttocks as his mouth covered hers.

**I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting for this update. I'm travelling again and struggling to find any time to write. This is a short chapter but I figured you might prefer short to naught. Next week I'm going to have much more time so I promise longer, more timely updates. Hope you enjoy. Let me know your thoughts.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The murder board had all of Kate's attention and none of Castle's. He sat on the edge of the desk and watched her think. Her eyes ranged over the board, her right hand doing its customary little dance in front of her face, fingers spread as if playing some imaginary musical instrument before coming to briefly rest against her chin and lips and then setting off again to play the next movement.

'Something's missing,' she said, walking slowly back and forth in front of the array of evidence and clues.

'I know. It's in my pocket.'

'What?' She spun to look at him, her brow and nose wrinkled.

He nodded at her left hand that was resting on her hip and patted the breast pocket of his jacket. She rolled her eyes and tutted turning back to the board.

'Concentrate, Castle.'

'I am.' He was admiring the snug fit of her pants on her butt and she twisted her head to catch him as if she knew.

'On the case!'

'Right.' His lips twitched upwards in acknowledgement of the grin that he could see her biting back.

'We need a breakthrough or we won't be going to The Old Haunt tonight.'

'Right,' he repeated, but he got up to stand beside her, imbued with urgency by the threat of a late night in the precinct instead of announcing their engagement to their friends.

'So we know it's not the wife or the model girlfriend because they were having a very public fight in a bar across town when he was being filleted and shop window dressed,' he said.

'Or do we?' Ryan said, joining them. 'Turns out that the witnesses were all so drunk they're not sure of the time. All except the bar owner who just happens to be an old school friend of his wife.'

'And Lanie has confirmed that the shoe belonged to – or had at least been worn by – the girlfriend from DNA from skin particles.' Esposito perched himself on Beckett's desk.

'The benefits of regular pedicures for murder suspects are frequently overlooked,' said Castle.

'So, we can link the shoe to the model girlfriend but that's not enough to build a case. We know that that heel was embedded in the wound post-mortem. That doesn't mean she killed him.'

'What if,' Castle said and all of them turned to look at him, 'the girlfriend and wife knew about girlfriends 2 and 3.' He tapped the photos of two beautiful young women.

'So, one day they met and decided that they'd both had enough…'

'And they hatched a plan to get rid of him together…' Beckett continued.

'With the help of the barman who might have been more than just an old school friend of the wife…'

'Or not.'

'Or not.' Castle agreed.

'And they killed him…'

'But the model couldn't resist walking all over him – literally…'

'Which is why the fight in the bar looked real…'

'Because it was. The shoe wasn't part of the plan and the wife was mad…'

'And Bobby the barman didn't just give them an alibi…'

'He also dumped the body.'

Esposito and Ryan watched, arms crossed and heads shaking as Castle and Kate held their final pose, faces just inches apart.

'But we need evidence or a confession. Bring in all three of them and we'll shake out the weak link,' said Kate, breaking the spell by turning to the boys.

* * *

An after work drink at The Old Haunt was enough of a regular thing not to arouse the suspicions of Ryan and Esposito and Kate had drafted in Lanie's help to persuade Ryan that Jenny should join them. But Gates was a trickier proposition.

'You'll have to ask her,' Kate said, eying the closed office door with trepidation.

'Me? Why?' Castle wailed.

'Because it would sound really weird for me to ask her for a drink but it'll be normal coming from you.'

'How do you figure that?' His voice rose in disbelief.

'Because… it's just more of a you thing that a me thing.'

'That's ridiculous, Kate.'

'It's that or we both go in there together now and tell her. If she reads about it in Sunday's paper…'

'Fine! But I'm not going to forget this, Beckett. You owe me big time.' He stood up and shook out his shoulders, twisting his head from side to side like a prizefighter preparing for a bout with the world number one.

'I promise I'll make it up to you.' She rested her hand on his chest and looked up at him through her lashes, head tilted to the side so he could just see her tongue moistening her bottom lip.

'That so not fair, Kate. But I'm so looking forward to it.' He swallowed and turned just as Gates swung the door open and strode out to join them. The both hastily schooled their features to try to look normal. Even though Gates knew about them, their old habits were ingrained.

'Congratulations again, Detective. Mr Castle. Another successful conclusion.'

'Thank you, Sir. The two women weren't saying anything but the barman was easy to break,' Kate said.

'Nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned except two women scorned. Well, enjoy your early night. I'll see you on Monday.'

Castle flinched as Kate kicked him in the shin.

'Sir,' he gasped, halting her progress across the bullpen.

'Yes, Mr Castle. What is it?' She didn't look best pleased as she glanced back at him with narrow eyes.

'I… we… what I mean is…'

'What?' She raised her brows and sighed.

'Would you… er… We're going for a drink at The Old Haunt to celebrate. Would you join us?'

She glanced at her watch. 'Well…'

'We'd really like you to come,' added Kate, peering around Castle from her perch on the edge of her desk.

The Captain looked from Castle to Kate as if assessing their intentions.

'I see. In which case, I'd love to.'

* * *

It was early for most of the patrons at The Old Haunt. A couple of regulars were propping up the edge of the bar and nodded at Castle as the team from the 12th arrived. Castle had called ahead to let Danny know they were coming and he'd closed off the back of the bar for them and opened up the boxes of pizzas that had just been delivered. Esposito grabbed the biggest slice of pepperoni as Ryan made sure that Jenny was comfortable on a stool beside Lanie before joining him.

'Everyone's here, bro. Good time to make an announcement,' Esposito said, wiping grease of his chin with a napkin.

'Na. Too early yet. Jenny doesn't even know that I told you.' He took a plate and selected slice of double cheese.

'You told anyone else?'

Ryan shook his head.

'Thanks bro.' Esposito grinned.

Ryan smiled back before flicking his chin in the direction of Castle and Beckett who were whispering to each other by the bar.

'What do you reckon this is all about?'

'Just a drink after work. Closed the case. Why not?'

'Look at them, Javi. I don't think I've ever seen them both look so nervous.'

'Hey, you're not going to start with that pregnancy thing again, are you? Because if you think I'm going to risk my life by making Beckett mad again, you must have hit your head…'

'No. I think it's pretty clear that Beckett's not pregnant but something's going on. Danny's opening champagne.'

'Champagne? Ha. That is weird. I know that Castle's just finished _Deadly Heat._ Maybe they're making another movie. How cool would that be?'

'Hey Javi, look.'

Martha was making her usual spectacular entrance, greeting everyone with a kiss and hug, Jim following quietly behind her.

'You don't think they're getting hitched do you?' Esposito said, his eyes following the two new arrivals.

'Castle and Beckett?' Ryan's eyes opened wide as if light had suddenly dawned.

'No!' Esposito scoffed. 'Jim and Martha. They look awfully friendly.'

'Yeah, they do.' Ryan's jaw hung open as he watched Beckett hug her dad.

* * *

Gates watched proceedings from her seat beside Lanie. She'd hardly ever been asked to join the team for a drink and, even when she had, she'd rarely gone. But she had recognised a sense of urgency in Castle's invitation this evening and Beckett's support had confirmed that this was more than just a celebration of closing another case. She was happy to be included in what was clearly a collection of close friends and family, whatever their reasons for choosing to invite her along. She glanced around, wondering how many of those assembled had guessed the truth and took the glass of champagne that Castle was offering her, settling down to enjoy the show.

When he got back to Kate, Castle took her by the shoulder and turned her towards the bar. Sinking his fingers into his breast pocket, he pulled out the purple silk pouch and shook out the ring into the palm of his hand. Checking that Martha, Jim and Lanie were doing their job and ensuring that everyone's attention was elsewhere, her took Kate's trembling hand in his own and slid the ring on to her finger.

'Do you want to keep this?' He held up the pouch to her and she shook her head.

'I won't need it. This time it's staying on.' She gave him a quick kiss before they turned back to the party, her hand tightly encased in his.

Castle clinked a spoon against his glass and immediately all eyes turned to the couple, as if they'd been waiting for this moment.

'I think you might have guessed that closing the case isn't the real reason we asked you to join us tonight. Kate and I have some news we want to share with you.' He glanced down at the woman beside him and he caught his breath, realising the enormity of what was about to happen. He was effectively going to declare to the world that Kate Beckett was going to become his wife. She smiled up at him and her turned back to their friends.

'We're getting married,' he announced simply before kissing his bride to be.

**Tune in for reactions in the next chapter. Talking of reactions, I'd love to have yours.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Just re-read this and found lots of altitude induced typos. Hope I've got them all now. Do tell me if you spot anything I've missed. x**

Chapter 11

Kate turned in Castle's arms to take in the tableau in front of them, and the fluttering in her stomach that had made it hard to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time and had meant that she hadn't managed more than a bite of the delicious Panini that Castle had bought her for lunch, eased. It wasn't that she was worried about their friends' reactions; it was more like the anticipation that she remembered feeling as a child when her parents took her on particularly exciting excursions. And, okay, she had to admit to a little bit of anxiety about what everyone would think because she very much wanted them to be happy about their engagement. So, looking out at smiling faces was good.

The three people who knew exactly why they were here were, of course, guaranteed to be happy but Kate was still heartened by their warmth. Martha, a bright splash of green and yellow amid the sea of dark work suits, was clutching Jim's forearm, her warm, watery-eyed smile matching his proud grin. That they had somehow forged an unlikely friendship was both a surprise and relief to her and Castle. Just behind them, Lanie's smile was broad and supportive and, as she met Kate's eyes, she patted her heart with the palm of her hand.

How the others present would react was less certain though, had Kate been able to think about it unemotionally, she could probably have had a good shot at predicting their initial responses. But the usually calm and controlled detective was all emotion today as, it seemed, was Jenny. Perched on a stool beside Lanie, her trembling lips were turned upwards as tears ran down her cheeks, her hands bound together at her breast in an age-old gesture of overwhelming happiness. Kevin and Javi had yet to find their smiles but Kate was confident that they would once they got over the shock that had left them looking like a pair of cartoon characters, mouths hanging open and champagne glasses frozen in mid-air, confirming that Lanie had indeed kept their news secret.

Kate's gaze had skated over Captain Gates but now she took in her expression of complete astonishment that seemed to verge on horror and that fluttering feeling returned. She was thankful to Lanie for diverting her, squeezing a bark of laughter from her with her powerful hug.

'Girl, you took long enough to realise what the rest of us have known for years. You two are made for each other.'

'Yeah, right! Because we're so alike,' Kate said, her voiced laced with irony.

'Because you complete each other.'

Kate caught her breath at the simple truth of that statement.

Lanie released her to turn her attention to Castle who had been transfixed not by their friends but by the joy on the face of Katherine Beckett.

'Come down here you and give me a kiss. You know you're the luckiest man in the world, right?' she said, wrapping her arms round his neck and kissing him firmly on the cheek.

'I do,' he mumbled.

'Are you crying, Richard Castle?'

'Yes,' he sniffed.

'Good man.' She looked up at him, her hands on his biceps.

'One day you're going to explain to me exactly why it took you so long to get here.'

Ryan was the first of the detectives to recover from the surprise announcement. He pulled Kate into his arms and held her tight.

'Wonderful, Kate, I'm so happy for you. It's about time that you two did the decent thing. I wish you as much happiness and joy as Jenny and I have.'

'Thank you, Kev. That's sweet. Is Jenny okay?'

They both turned to see Martha comforting the young woman who was covering her face with a handkerchief, the rise and fall of her shoulders visible even from six feet away.

'Oh. She's just… um… a little emotional at the moment. I'll just…' and he was gone to take over from Martha.

Kate narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips as she watched him wind his arm around his wife's waist, an idea forming in her head that might explain why the boys had been speculating about pregnancy. Javi cut through her musings, engulfing her in his muscular arms and kissing her temple.

'Wow! Kate, you're getting married.'

'Yes, Javi. I am.'

'To Castle.' He was still holding her tight but she could hear wonder in his voice.

'Yep. Did you think I might be marrying someone else?'

'Hmm. Not likely. But when I think back to when he first started following you round_Wow!'

'I know, right?' She laughed as he released her. 'I don't think any of us could have predicted this.'

'I don't know about that. You were so obviously attracted to me from the first moment we met,' Castle said, joining them.

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head but she couldn't stop smiling. Sharing their secret was a joy and, anyway, Castle's egotistical wiseass comments were one of the many things she loved about him, though she wasn't about to tell him that. But then she didn't need to; he knew it perfectly well and that was why he was trying unsuccessfully to bite back his own grin.

Esposito grabbed him into a man hug.

'Congratulations, bro. 'Bout time.'

Kate took Castle's hand and led him over to Kevin and Jenny so that she could cry her congratulations all over them as Esposito sought out Lanie.

'You knew and you didn't tell me?' he accused, trapping the medical examiner into the corner.

'And what makes you think that I knew, Javier Esposito?' She squared up to him, chin out and hands on hips.

'There was no squealing or screaming.'

'I do not squeal or scream!'

He leant forward so that his lips were close enough to her ear for her to feel his breath.

'You're forgetting that I know exactly what you do when you're excited, Doctor Parish.'

'Shhh!' She smacked his chest with her palm. 'Is that what you're basing your detective work on? Maybe I'm so much smarter than you, I did the math and guessed what was going on.'

'Oh I don't think so.'

'No?'

'No! You didn't even look at her ring. That, my dear doctor, is conclusive evidence.'

She maintained her stance but she knew that he had her and the tension in her face relaxed.

'She's my girl, Javi. She wanted to tell you herself.'

'I get it. When your bestie asks you to keep a secret, you do it.'

She edged forward to whisper against his cheek, 'Squealing and screaming? Maybe you need another lesson in how I am when I'm real excited.' He tried to close the gap between them and she pushed him away, sashaying past him, knowing without looking back that he was watching her, slack jawed.

Captain Gates hadn't moved from her seat as the performance she'd been looking forward to had played out in front of her. The script had deviated considerably from what she'd expected and, as everyone around her congratulated the newly engaged couple and, it seemed, each other, she took time to process this new development. Plausible deniability had just become impossible. With Beckett's pregnancy that was inevitable eventually but a public engagement of the writer and his muse meant that the reveal was now imminent. She didn't want to burst their bubble – she really didn't – but they were going to have to face the fact that this changed everything. She slid off her stool and walked over to join them. Martha and Jim, who'd been sharing hugs with their kids, moved away and left them with their boss.

'Congratulations!'

'Thank you, Sir,' Beckett smiled, and looked down pushing her hair behind her ear, suddenly looking young and vulnerable, and Gates surprised herself when she gave her detective a hug. The next moment she found herself clutched firmly to the chest of an over-exuberant Castle who was whispering 'Thank you' in her ear. She briefly returned his embrace, suspecting he was mostly thanking her for showing support for his fiancée. When she had her breath back she looked at Kate.

'So this is why you didn't take the DC job.'

'No, Sir. I'd decided not to go before Castle proposed.'

'I see.' She nodded. 'That's good though it would have been hard to go ahead in your condition.'

'Sir? Oh! Oh no, Sir. I'm not pregnant. I know that everyone seems to have thought that I was but I'm not.' The words tumbled from Kate's mouth and Gates noticed that her hand had searched for Castle's as she spoke and he was now holding it tight in his own.

'But Mr Castle, you confirmed…'

'I really don't think I did and if I did I didn't know what I was doing it,' he babbled.

She narrowed her eyes at him but thinking back over their conversation she had to agree that he hadn't at any stage said that Beckett was pregnant.

'Hmm! You'd better both come to see me on Monday morning. I do hope you know what you're taking on, Kate,' she added with a grin as she walked away.

The couple both let out a relieved sigh as they watched her being swept up by Martha. Castle draped his arms around her and she wrapped hers around his waist and they held each other's gaze for a few moments, seeing the love and the joy they were feeling reflected in the other. They kissed tenderly and then rested their foreheads together.

'We hate to interrupt but Kevin and I have something important to discuss with your boy here.'

'Really?' said Kate lifting her head and assessing Esposito and Ryan, taking in that they were each holding two glasses of champagne.

'Aha,' Esposito said and they looked at Castle, nodding in unison.

'It's man talk, Beckett,' Kevin said, spreading his feet crossing his arms.

She laughed and disengaged herself from Castle's grip.

'But before you go, Kate, there's someone not here who would have been really happy about this. Hell, I think he's the only one who saw it coming.' Esposito handed her a glass and Ryan gave one to Castle.

'To Roy Montgomery,' they all said at Kate's nod, draining their glasses. They remained silent, solemnly contemplating the absence of the one man who seemed to see the potential of Beckett's partnership with her writer long before either of the main protagonists, until Esposito took their empty glasses and put them on a table.

'So if you don't mind, Beckett...' he said, standing back to make a passage for her between himself and his partner.

'He's all yours boys.'

'No, Kate. Don't leave me,' Castle whined.

'Man up, Castle,' she said, giving him a saucy look over her shoulder.

Castle swallowed and took a step away from Esposito and Ryan, convinced he was about to get a big brother warning about looking after their girl but as soon as Kate was out of earshot they relaxed and drew him into a huddle.

'So how'd you propose, Castle? Helicopter? Scuba diving? Skydiving?' asked Kevin.

'I… er… I just got down on one knee and asked.'

'What? No grand gestures?' snapped Esposito.

'Um. Nope.'

'But it must have been somewhere dramatic. Empire State Building? Brooklyn Bridge?' Kevin was still hoping for something spectacular.

'Brooklyn Bridge?' Espo and Castle echoed together.

'Yeah, well I'm not great at this sort of thing.' He shrugged his shoulders, and glanced at his wife.

'We noticed,' Esposito said, adding, 'Hey, I'm just agreeing with you bro,' as Ryan glared at him.

'In a park,' Castle said, seeking out Kate across the bar where she was surrounded by the women who were all cooing over her ring. She glanced up and met his eyes and they smiled at each other. Ryan grinned and Esposito rolled his eyes, poking Castle's arm.

'Hey. We're talking to you. Central Park? Strawberry Fields?'

Castle dragged his attention back to the boys. 'Er… No. Just a park.'

Ryan and Esposito shook their heads. They'd expected great things of Castle and he'd disappointed them.

'Just a park but a special park,' Castle continued dreamily. Making an effort to focus, he added, 'So, you guys had no clue?'

'Sure we did. Well, he didn't but I did. I totally got what was going down,' Esposito preened.

'You did not. You thought Jim and Martha were getting engaged'.

'What? Oh God, that's just… That's… What is wrong with you? How long will it take for me to unthink that? Beckett's going to kill you.' Castle scrunched his face up in disgust.

'Don't tell her. So who's going to be best man?' Esposito hastily changed the subject, lifting his chin and looking every bit a member of special forces.

'Yeah Castle, who's it going to be?' Ryan was transformed by those few words into a belligerent Irish man and Castle could only open and close his mouth and swallow.

'I er… I haven't… I don't… The… um… planning… er… Ah! Beckett wants me,' and he made a rapid escape.

The pianist, who'd been watching events with interest, chose that moment to play Mendelssohn's Wedding March and the bar erupted into applause. With the spotlight temporarily diverted to the piano, Castle kept walking when he reached the group of women, grabbing Kate's hand to take her with him into the back room, closing the door and leaning his back against it with a sigh.

'You okay?' Kate asked, her smile wavering.

'I'm great. Fantastic. You?'

'Me too.' She closed in on him, resting her head on his chest and the length of her body on his.

'So, the cat's out of the bag. How does it feel?' He wrapped one long arm around her shoulders and stroked her hair with the other hand, feeling her relax even more against him.

'Good. Really good. All day I've felt like I was going to see the elephants in the zoo for the first time…'

'What?' he interrupted, squashing his chin into his neck in an effort to look down at her.

'Excitement and fear mixed together, you know? But now, it just feels really good, except for one thing.' She pulled away to look up at him and he met her eyes with concern.

'What's that?'

'I'm starving.'

He let out a breath.

'Me too. That pizza will be congealed gloop now.'

'Yeah. You know what I fancy?'

He shook his head.

'One of Remy's cheese burgers. If we could just slip out of here…'

'Come with me.' He took her hand again and opened the secret passageway.

**Hi guys. Feeling the pressure again to dish up the goods that you're looking for. I hope this chapter meets your expectations. I wrote it on a plane so any typos, mistakes or idiocy is the ****responsibility of the altitude. As always, your reviews, thoughts and love would be much appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Kate didn't have the luxury of a regular sleeping pattern. Too many years of waking to the ring of her phone had had an effect. The slightest noise would often rouse her and rolling over to go back to sleep wasn't something she'd been able to do for most of her adult life. She'd spent long, frustrating nights thinking about how she could find and bring to justice the person responsible for her mother's murder, that had usually culminated in getting up in darkness and pouring through boxes of documents, old photographs and diaries. Other nights, in the middle of an active case, she'd try to picture the murder board in her head in her hunt for the missing link that would lead to the killer and she'd turn up at the precinct when the night shift were still hours from their beds to stare at the display of evidence.

Then Richard Castle had insinuated himself into her life and forced his way into her nights long before they plunged into bed together. At first, the latest infuriating thing he'd done added variety to her sleepless hours and punctuated her more serious concerns. That made him even more maddening until, at some point in the last few years, and she really wasn't quite sure when, it wasn't annoying Castle who'd come unbidden in the middle of the night – or at least – not always. The companion of her restive nights morphed into funny Castle, thoughtful coffee bringing Castle, caring Castle, incredibly irritating but somehow very attractive Castle. Eventually, it was thoughts of downright hot Castle and so very hard to resist Castle that were preventing her from sleeping. It was the Castle who created space for himself in her consciousness by being instrumental in identifying the man behind her mother's murder and by being the person she knew would be there in the morning to puzzle over the murder board with her, the man was there for her. Always.

When she finally knew he loved her but wasn't yet ready to confess her own feelings for him, she'd been unable and unwilling to banish him from her mind. He had unknowingly kept her company in the hours of darkness when, haunted by a sniper's shot, it felt like she was the only person awake in the city. But then his physical presence in her bed had given her back the serenity to drift back to sleep that she'd lost along with her mother. Now, when she was startled into alertness she had the choice to either snuggle up beside him and let sleep take her again, or to use other tactics to ensure that if she was awake she wouldn't be alone.

Maybe it was the first rays of sun that had woken her or a siren signalling an early morning mission for some other public servant. Something had done the trick and she sleepily considered her options. He was warm and desirable, a heavy arm draped across her. She inhaled his scent; male, musky and still smelling of sex, and her body made the decision for her. As she turned under the weight of his arm and reached for him, intent on taking very direct action to rouse him, she was deflected by the thought that maybe it was the paper delivery that had woken her. The Sunday papers! She dropped onto her back, her hands retreating before they'd reached their objective. Oh God! She closed her eyes, shutting out prying eyes for a little longer, but she knew that she had no chance of dozing off again and that even the plans she'd had for Castle's body wouldn't be enough to distract her, so she slithered sideways, opening her eyes to gently lower his arm as she slid her feet onto the cool floor. Grabbing her robe, she pulled the bedroom door shut behind her before running on her toes to open the front door. The New York Times lay on the mat and she lifted its hefty weight to find the much lighter Journal underneath.

She liked to curl up on her favourite comfortable couch with the Sunday papers but today she perched on a stool at the kitchen counter. She didn't even make coffee. She took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ears, needing another shaky breath before she forced herself to open the paper. The article wasn't hard to find. An old photo of Castle with some busty blonde leered out at her, beside a grainy shot of herself that she recognized from coverage of their first investigation into 3XK.

_**Muse Harpoons White Whale **_

_It looks like millionaire author, Richard Castle, has been caught in the net of his muse. _

_Detective Katherine Beckett has snagged the twice-divorced eligible __bachelor. __They_

_ were spotted together hiding away on a romantic date in the __back room of The Dutch,_

_ sharing dessert and champagne. The beautiful detective was sporting an expensive_

_ diamond or three on the third finger of her left hand. __The mystery novelist's name_

_ has been linked with enough glamorous women to __fill a phone directory __but his_

_ playboy lifestyle has been curbed in recent years. __He has __somehow managed __to_

_ swing a sweet number shadowing the detective, supposedly __in the name of _

_research for his Nikki Heat series. Me thinks he must have __enough __material for_

_ a library. The word about town is that the single __father is smitten __with __Ms Beckett_

_ who looks more likely to grace the pages of __Vogue than Police __Monthly. __One can_

_ only wonder how she has managed __to resist his obvious charms for so long. __Perhaps_

_ his less than successful history as a husband has something to do with __it. The_

_ writer's two previous marriages to small time actress, Meredith Castle, __and to Gina_

_ Cowell, his publisher, were both short-lived affairs. Watch this space __to see if the_

_ delectable detective fares any better._

Kate dropped her head into her hands and groaned.

* * *

As Castle drifted towards wakefulness, he instinctively slid his arm across to find Kate. The feel of cold, empty sheets had him instantly conscious, raising himself on his elbows to seek her out. It wasn't that unusual for her to wake before him but he knew from the touch of her side of the bed that she'd got up some time ago. If there'd been a body drop she'd have woken him so something else must have caused her to leave their warm bed. He was disappointed not to have the chance to snuggle with her. She loved to cuddle in the morning and, unless he'd been writing late, she had no scruples about waking him early. He rubbed his face roughly to dislodge the last vestiges of sleep and went in search of her, pulling on track bottoms on his way.

'Kate?' She didn't answer.

The living room was empty so he popped his head into his office. She sometimes liked to sit in his chair to read but not today. His next stop was their dead letter drop box or, as some people might describe it, the refrigerator door. They'd got into the habit of leaving messages on the door attached by an NYPD fridge magnet. It was too public for intimate notes but perfect for "OJ finished. Sorry." "Don't forget to pick up dry cleaning" or "Gone to get bagels", but there was nothing there and she must have left in a hurry because the coffee machine was cold.

He tried to rationalise it, casting around for clues to where she might be. She'd brought in the newspapers so… So. He had nothing. He dropped onto a stool and tried not to give in to unnecessary worry but the memory of waking up to cold sheets only to discover she'd gone in search of Bracken forced itself to the surface. Perhaps she'd sent him a text. He hurried back to the bedroom to find his phone but there were no new messages so he dialled her number, panic getting the better of him when he heard her ring tone coming from just a couple of feet away on top of the cabinet where it lay beside her purse and gun. Where could she have gone without her purse? Oh God! Maybe she'd been kidnapped. He forced himself to breathe deeply and to try to think coherently. The doorman must have seen her leave. Yeah. He should check with him and he pulled on trainers and a t-shirt, swinging by the kitchen to grab his keys. That's when he saw it.

The purple silk pouch was on the counter beside the newspaper. He reached for it, scared to touch. He sat down again and closed his eyes. Had something happened? Had he said something? Done something? They'd had a perfect Saturday together, idling away the morning and then walking in the park where lunch had been an impromptu picnic of hotdogs and soda. They'd spent the evening curled up on the couch watching _Sleepless in Seattle_ again because she loved it and then they'd made slow, tender love before falling asleep in each other's arms. So why would she take off her ring? He opened his eyes and again reached for the pouch, his hand freezing as he spotted the photos in the newspaper. Frigging Freya Jones! Of course. It was Sunday. He scanned the article. He'd read a lot worse about himself but he knew how much Kate hated to be in the public eye and maybe that crack about his failed marriages had just been too much. Oh God. Kate. Where was she?

'Hey, Castle, you're up.' He hadn't heard her key in the door but there she was, in the jeans and shirt that he'd removed before they got to the bedroom last night, clutching a paper bag of groceries.

'Kate. Thank God.' He covered the distance between them in two seconds enfolding her in his arms.

'What's wrong? Rick, has something happened?' Her arms and the bag were squashed between them and she couldn't return his embrace but she managed to fist a handful of his t-shirt in her hand.

'I thought you'd left me,' he mumbled into her hair.

'What?' She levered out her elbows, forcing him to release her. 'What are you talking about?'

'I couldn't find you and then I read the article and found the ring…'

'What ring? This ring?' She swung up the bag so he could see her hand and the diamonds split the sunlight into a rainbow of colours.

'But the pouch…'

'Castle, just breathe. Let me put this down.'

She took the bag to the kitchen and he followed on her heels so that when she turned he was just inches behind her.

'You weren't here…'

'We'd run out of milk and eggs. We forgot to shop for groceries yesterday, remember? I just went to the shop on the corner.'

'But your purse and phone…'

'Were in the bedroom and you were so sound asleep I didn't want to wake you so I raided your pockets.'

'And I saw the pouch…'

'_Empty _pouch, It was in your jacket pocket along with a twenty dollar bill.'

'But the article…'

'Castle, I just went to the store.'

He hugged her and rested his head on hers.

'I was so scared.'

She pushed herself free again, her brows snapping together.

'Wait! You were scared that I'd _left you_? She scowled at him and turned away to empty the grocery bag.

Castle's shoulders dropped and he ran his hand through his hair.

'Why would I leave?' Kate snapped, spinning on her heel to face him again, milk bottle in her hand.

'Um… I just thought… the article…' he stammered.

She stomped across to put the milk away, saying into the refrigerator, '… is annoying and embarrassing and I hate it. But it doesn't change how I feel about you or about us. How could you think it would?'

She turned face him again and there was no mistaking the hurt in her eyes.

'I'm sorry, Kate. I really am. I'm an idiot. And imagining you'd left of your own accord was slightly better than thinking you'd been kidnapped.'

She raised questioning brows at him.

'I called you and then I heard your ring tone and I thought…'

'That someone had snuck in during the night and kidnapped me without you noticing?' She put her hands on her hips and shook her head.

'Well, when you put it like that… But then I read the article and…'

'And?'

'And I thought that maybe you'd started worrying about this being my third time and…'

'And?'

'And I couldn't help but wonder why you would want to be with me.' He hung his head and dropped his hands.

Kate held her breath. This from the man who was convinced she'd wanted him from the first time they'd met? But she knew him well enough to know that while on some level he probably did believe that she'd instantly found him irresistible, he struggled to believe that once she'd got behind the playboy façade, she could still be attracted to him.

'Your money, obviously.'

'Huh?'

'I caught the rich playboy in my net. It's in the article. Why else would I want to be with a such a kind, thoughtful, loving, idiotic man?' She grinned and stepped towards him, lightly slapping his cheek before pinching it, and stretching her fingers to gently cup his cheek in her hand.

'I'm not going anywhere, Castle. I like the ring too much. I'm not giving it back.'

He smiled down at her and then lightly brushed her lips with his own.

'I think you came off better than me,' he said, stroking her arm, 'I'm a shallow playboy, twice failed husband but you're a _delectable_ detective – I liked that part.'

'You did?'

'I did. Who has cleverly caught me in her man trap.'

'Hmm. At least I'm not small time.'

'Huh?'

'Did you read the whole thing, Castle?'

She stepped back and pushed the paper towards him and he sat on a stool and reread the article as Kate put on the coffee and started cooking breakfast.

'Oh crap! She's going to go mad. She'll blame me, you know.' He slapped his hand on the counter, grimacing, and Kate gave him a sympathetic smile. His phone rang and he checked the caller ID, his face relaxing into a smile.

'Hey, Connolly_Thank you_ I know. I'm one lucky dog_'

It was the first of many congratulatory calls that were interspersed with entertainment reporters looking for comments or interviews. Kate was never going to be happy with the intrusion into their private life but she listened and admired how well her husband-to-be handled the media. She just wished that he had the same power to charm Captain Gates because all too soon it was going to be Monday morning and their lives were going to change forever.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Castle rested his elbows on his desk, holding the phone to his ear and cradling his forehead with the other hand. One of Meredith's friends in New York had called her in LA to share with her the contents of New York Journal column. Friends like that were widespread in the acting profession. His mother had plenty of them; the sort who would phone up to sympathise about a scathing review - just in case you might have missed it. He'd heard Meredith do it herself, sugar coated words dripping off her tongue like drops of acid, and he bet there was no shortage of "friends" ready to return that favour, delighted that Freya Jones had given them the perfect opportunity. He empathised with them but he just wished that they could have resisted a little longer so that he might have been spared Meredith in full flood today.

'Castle?' Kate asked tentatively and he looked up to see her at the doorway, holding two glasses of red wine, her eyes wide with concern.

'Meredith' he mimed, pointing at the phone.

'Oh.'

She put his wine on the desk and he switched to speaker, grinning as he waved her to a chair. Had she but known it, Meredith had done him a favour when she'd turned up unannounced to stay with them when Alexis had mono. She'd spent time with him and Kate, and with Kate on her own and she hadn't managed to poison their relationship or dent Kate's faith that he wouldn't be tempted by ex-sex.

'_Small time? Me? They must have confused me with your mother. And I've got to say, Ricky, I'm really hurt that you didn't tell me about your engagement to Beckett before it was in the newspaper. After all, it affects me too.'_

'How so, Meredith? We've been divorced for years. What I do with my private life is nothing to do with you.'

'_How can you say that? When you've been as close as we are, don't you think that I have a right to know…'_

'No.' He closed his eyes and shook his head as a dramatic sob reached them through the ether.

'_Oh Richard, how heartless you have become. I do hope that Detective Beckett knows what she's letting herself in for. Maybe I should talk to her.'_

Kate opened her mouth to speak but he held up his hand to stop her.

'She knows exactly what she's taking on.' They smiled at each other and waited for her response.

'_Really? Does she know how you changed overnight from an apparently loving and caring husband to throwing out your own wife from her home?'_

'Not going to happen with Kate.' He sat back and sipped his wine. He was beginning to enjoy this.

'_You say that now but why should she be any different?'_

'I'm not going to find her straddling her director in our bed.'

Kate's jaw dropped open and her eyes widened and Castle realised that he'd never told her why he and Meredith had finally parted.

'_I'm getting on the first flight to New York. I'll be with you tomorrow.'_

'What? Why?' He sat forward again, flinching as he spilled wine on to his cream chinos. Kate slipped into the bathroom and rushed back with a damp cloth for him, dropping back into the chair, riveted by Meredith's performance and desperate not to miss anything.

'_Have you thought about how her father marrying again will affect our daughter? She'll need her mother to help her through this difficult time.'_

'You better fly to Costa Rica then. Or has her _loving_ mother forgotten that her only daughter is on a jungle field trip for a few weeks?' He dabbed at his damp trousers with the cloth.

'_You mean she doesn't know? You're engaged and you didn't tell our daughter?'_

'Oh, she knows. She's looking forward to helping Kate plan the wedding and she can hardly wait to choose her bridesmaid's dress.'

Kate beamed at him and he decided he'd wasted enough time with his ex.

'Thanks for calling to congratulate us, Mer. Really thoughtful. Got to go now.'

'_Rich…'_ He cut her off mid-flow and turned his attention back to the woman sitting opposite him. As he watched her, her smile slipped and he felt her assessing him.

'What?'

'You never told me about Meredith and her director.'

He shrugged his shoulders.

'It was a long time ago.'

'It must have been tough.' She tucked her legs under her and he could tell that she was settling down in expectation of hearing the story.

'Not really. I guess I'd known for most of our time together that it wasn't forever. Meredith's not a forever kind of woman, thank God.'

She questioned him with the raise of her brows.

'You've seen her first hand. She is not an easy person to live with.'

'But when you first got together you must have loved her.' She pushed her hair behind her ear and sipped her wine, her eyes scrutinising him.

'Honestly Kate, as sordid as it sounds, it was all about the sex. And then she got pregnant and we got married.'

She waited in silence for him to continue.

'I wanted our child to have two parents. I really wanted it to work. I wanted to love her and I wanted her to love me but…' he sighed, 'we were fond of each other. I'd have stuck with it but, when she couldn't keep out of her director's pants, I didn't hesitate to use my get out of jail card. Not free, of course, but that really didn't matter. I just wanted out.'

'It must have hurt, finding her like that.'

'Alexis and I were already a great team by then. Meredith spent a lot of time away on location. Working and, I guess, doing other stuff. Because she wasn't around a lot, Alexis' life didn't change much,' he said, rearranging the pencils on his desk.

'But what about you, Rick?'

Her voice was so gentle it nearly undid him. For years he'd convinced himself that he'd only been worried about Alexis and he felt nothing but relief when Meredith had left. Only his mother had any idea just how hard it had been for him. He'd never let anyone else see how much he'd been hurt. It would be easy to keep it like that. Laugh it off with a joke, some self-deprecating remark and change the subject but he owed Kate the truth. He lined all the pencils into a neat row and looked up at her.

'My heart wasn't broken, Kate, and Alexis hardly noticed the difference, but it's hard to learn that you're not enough for the woman to whom you've pledged your life, not enough for the mother of your child.'

She nodded her understanding and unfurled herself from the chair. He opened his arms as she came to him but she hesitated, glancing down at the red stain in his lap and taking his hand to pull him to his feet instead of sitting. He linked his hands together in the small of her back and she slid one hand into the hair at the nape of his neck and caressed his jaw with the knuckles of the other. Her feet were bare and she had to crane her neck to gaze up at him but, although he towered over her, the fierce love in her eyes, bright with unshed tears, gave him strength.

'I thought that Meredith was clever but she must be really stupid if you weren't enough for her. You'll always be enough for me, Rick. Always.'

There was no doubting the sincerity of her words or the truth conveyed by the fervent lips that she pressed resolutely to his. He increased the pressure on her back with one hand, the other roaming over her shirt. When they broke for air Kate hummed and rested her cheek on his broad chest.

'Now let's get you out of those trousers.'

He pulled back to look down at her.

'Amazing. I was thinking exactly the same thing.'

She smacked his chest with the palm of her hand.

'So we can wash out the stain, Castle,' she said, but the flicker of her eyes as she took his hand to drag him out of the office promised so much more than laundry.

* * *

The elevator doors opened and a ripple of applause broke out in the bullpen as Kate and Castle stepped out, increasing in intensity and accompanied by some whistles and catcalls as they made their way to her desk. Kate felt the warmth of a blush on her cheeks and smiled shyly, dropping her head so that she could hide behind her hair. In contrast, Castle held his head high, a proud smile lighting up his face. They'd been so concerned about the upcoming meeting with Captain Gates, neither of them had given a thought to the possible reaction of their other colleagues to their now very public engagement and they were briefly overcome with emotion. A crowd formed around them, back-slapping and hugging and admiring the ring until Captain Gates opened her door.

'Detective Beckett, Mr Castle. Good morning. May I have a word please?'

The police officers dispersed with some murmured good luck wishes which might have been for conjugal bliss or for their imminent interview with the Captain. Kate took a shaky breath and Castle straightened his already perfect tie and hair, giving Kate's hand a brief squeeze before standing back to allow her to precede him into Gates' office.

'Please sit,' she said, closing the door and taking her place behind her desk.

'First of all, congratulations again. I want you to know that I am really happy for you both but I can't pretend that your engagement doesn't present me with a big problem. Plausible deniability, even though just about everyone knew that you were together…'

'They did, Sir?' Kate asked, incredulous.

'They did, Detective. Trust me, you'd have to have been an idiot not to know, and frankly even an idiot would have had a good guess. You might have thought that you were being discreet but I assure you, you weren't.'

Kate met Castle's eyes and saw the disbelief and shock she felt mirrored on his face. She cringed at the thought that all the time they'd thought they were fooling the world people had probably been giggling about them. She flicked her brows at him and shrugged. It didn't matter now but that didn't stop her cringing with embarrassment.

'The point is, while you were behaving _relatively_ professionally at work, I could overlook your relationship but now,' she sighed and opened her hands out in resignation, 'now, I can't feign ignorance. NYPD rules are clear enough about couples not working together when they're dating, never mind if they're engaged or married.'

'We understand, Sir,' Kate said.

She gnawed at her knuckle and glanced at Castle. He was looking down at his hands and she could see his Adam's apple bob up and down. They had avoided talking about this probable consequence of their engagement, doubtless because they both recognized that it could be the end of their working relationship. Kate had told Alexis that she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue as a cop without Castle and she meant it but she wasn't going to make any hasty decisions.

'Mr Castle, while I can't pretend that I've always appreciated your methods, you've been surprisingly helpful.'

He glanced up. 'Thank you, Captain.'

'Would you be interested in working with another precinct?' Gates continued.

Kate's eyes flew to Castle's and he turned to look at her. She hadn't considered this possibility and she really didn't know how she felt about it. She was his muse. He was supposed to be shadowing her for research for Nikki Heat. If he worked with someone else… But she knew how much he loved working with NYPD and she shouldn't be selfish how ever much she wanted to be, so she threw him what she hoped was an encouraging smile and he grinned back. Okay, she could do this so long as he didn't shadow another woman, particularly not Sara Davies at the 43rd.

'No, Sir. I don't want to work with any other detectives. Detective Beckett's my inspiration. I'm a one detective guy.'

His words warmed Kate's heart but she couldn't let him sacrifice his opportunity to carry on doing what he loved.

'Castle, I don't mind. Really.' She held out her hand to him, her ring sparkling, and he took her fingers in his.

'No, Kate. It's you or nobody.'

'That's what I thought you'd say,' Gates sighed.

'Do you want me to go straightaway, Captain,' he asked, keeping hold of Kate's hand.

'Mr Castle, I don't give in that easily. I fight for my people. I'm not making any promises, but I'm going to try to find someway around this. In the meantime you can carry on as usual.'

'Thank you, Sir.' Kate beamed at her, squeezing Castle's hand and biting her lip as she turned to him.

'Don't thank me yet. Off you go.' She waved towards the door. 'And when I said carry on as usual, that doesn't mean holding hands.'

'Oh, no, Sir. Sorry,' Kate said and they dropped hands like kids caught making out by their teacher.

Captain Gates shook her head as she watched them head straight to the break room. No doubt they'd be more handholding or worse going on in there. She smiled to herself. There was something infectious about love that seemed to make everyone around feel happy. Now she had the uphill battle of coming up with some plan to keep Castle working in her precinct.

**Thanks so much for continuing to read and review. I'm thinking probably one or two more chapters. Do let me know if there's anything you'd like to see happen and I'll see if I can accommodate your wishes. xx**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

'She loves me now,' Castle said, grinning over his shoulder at Kate who was holding open the slats of the blind so she could peer out from the break room into the bull pen.

'Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Castle.' She twisted round from the hips and the eye roll was one of her classics but the upward twitch of her lips betrayed her and his smile widened before she turned back to her task.

'What are you doing?' he asked, frothing the milk for their coffees.

'Just checking whether they're all looking at us.'

'Huh?'

'Now they know that we're engaged, do you think they'll be watching us?'

'Well, if they weren't before, they will be now. I think spying on your colleagues from the break room is an open invitation for them to spy back. What does it matter anyway? They all know that we're together and, if Gates is right, they've known for ages. What do you say to a small celebration of our continuing partnership, work and er… otherwise?'

He came up behind her and reached over her shoulder to close the blinds, his lips ghosting across the back of her neck and his hands stroking down her biceps. Kate allowed herself to indulge, leaning into him and dropping her head to one side, shuddering as she felt his breath on her neck followed by the lightest touch of his lips. He responded, pressing his body against hers and nipping just behind her ear and she couldn't stop the groan of pleasure from escaping. It took all her resolve to resist but she knew she must.

'Ouch!' Castle gasped, releasing her, his hand rubbing the spot in his ribs where her elbow had given him a sharp dig.

'No, Castle! Gates is on our side now but if she catches us making out at work, that'll be it. You'll be out the door.'

She'd turned to face him, resting a palm on his chest and running the tips of his fingers over his heart before forcefully shoving him away and twisting back to open the blinds. Half a dozen curious pairs of eyes swiftly looked away but Ryan and Esposito didn't bother to pretend that they were doing anything other than watching the break room. She narrowed her eyes at them and they switched their attention to their desks but she noticed their smug grins didn't fade.

'Hmm. I wonder.'

'You wonder what?' he asked, handing her a mug of coffee.

'I wonder if someone else is keeping a secret.'

'Who? What?' He stood beside her, searching the room for some sign of what she might be talking about and she laughed at his childlike eagerness.

'Kate!' he pleaded.

'Have you noticed that Kevin has been looking particularly pleased with himself lately?'

'You mean?'

'Yep.'

'Makes sense. He's stopped rushing off to do the deed at Jenny's command. And it explains Jenny's impersonation of a watering pot at The Old Haunt. Do you think Esposito knows?' he said, prying the slats apart with his fingers so that he could get a better view.

'Definitely. If I'm your work wife, Kevin is Javi's.'

'Hmm.'

They nodded their heads in unison just as Ryan looked up from his desk. He leaned back into his chair and swallowed nudging Esposito who followed his gaze. They looked like a pair of choir boys worried that the priest had found out they'd been at the communion wine. Castle and Kate could see that they were talking to each other, even though they were trying not to move their lips.

'Javi, you haven't said anything about the baby have you?' Kevin mumbled.

'No way, bro. Not a word to anyone.'

'Lanie?'

'Especially not Lanie. She'd tell Beckett faster than you could say a glass of Merlot.'

'Why do you think they're staring at us?'

'Who knows? Look away so they don't know we spotted them.'

Castle and Kate smiled at each other before rejoining the boys in the bull pen, implicitly agreeing that, tempting as it was to have some fun with Ryan, they would wait until he was ready to tell them the news rather than spoil his joy in sharing what he'd think would be a surprise.

'Hey, what did Gates want? She kicking you to the curb, Castle?' asked Esposito.

'No. She loves me.' He preened and Kate couldn't resist another eye roll.

'She does?' Ryan's incredulous tone matched Esposito's look and Castle huffed at their disbelief.

'She's going to do what she can to let him stay but no guarantees. We'll just have to wait and see,' Kate said, watching as Gates left her office and headed to the elevator.

* * *

'Good morning, Melinda. Is he ready for me?' Captain Gates asked the officious looking blonde woman who was guarding Deputy Commissioner Mahon's office.

The secretary looked up from her keyboard and smiled.

'Morning, Captain Gates. He is. Go right on in.'

Gates did as she said, rapping her knuckles on one of the tall double wooden doors before letting herself into the office. Mahon didn't look up from the file in front of him, simply waving his hand in the general direction of the chair facing his across the wide mahogany desk. Gates' feet sank silently into the dark red carpet as she crossed to the brown leather chair. The Deputy Commissioner leaned back in his chair, twiddling a pencil in his fingers, a halo of short grey hair surrounding the pale shiny dome of his head.

'Captain. What can I do for you? It must be important this early in the day.'

'I'm sorry to bother you on a Monday morning, Sir. I have a personnel problem that I need some help with.'

He nodded in acknowledgement and waited for her to continue, the triple glazing ensuring that he was protected from the clamour of the city so that the only noise in the room was the gentle hum of the air-conditioner.

'Deputy Commissioner, you know that for the past five years the mystery writer, Richard Castle, has been attached to my precinct, shadowing Detective Katherine Beckett. I have been unable to have him removed because of his influence with the Mayor. Mr Castle has now become engaged to Detective Beckett…'

'So I saw in the Journal yesterday. How long have they been in a relationship?' He placed his elbows on the desk and leaned towards her. Gates was immediately on her guard, sensing he smelt blood.

'I don't know, Sir. They behaved professionally in the precinct.' Gates eased her conscience with the thought that first part of that statement was true and the second was open to interpretation.

'Hmm.' He sat back, hardly hiding his disappointment.

'You and I both know the rules about officers in a relationship not working together, Sir. I think that Detective Beckett will claim that she believed the regulation was not applicable in this case as Mr Castle is not an employee of the city and I expect he will try to use the same excuse to try to continue to work in the 12th. Two years ago I got rid of him from my precinct only to have to Mayor overturn my decision. I want to make sure that this time he doesn't manage to wriggle his way back in.'

'Right. So you want him gone?'

'Absolutely, Sir. We do serious work and there's no place for a dilettante playboy writer in _my_ precinct.'

'I understand, Captain. Leave this with me.'

'Maybe I should talk to the Commissioner, Sir.'

'No, no. No need for that. I'll have a word with him and we'll sort this out for you. Now, unless there's anything else…?'

'No, Sir. Thank you. I'll look forward to getting rid of Mr Castle once and for all.'

She saw herself out, privately congratulating herself on a job well done. Deputy Commissioner Michael Mahon had never forgiven Captain Victoria Gates for embarrassing him in front of a roomful of journalists, publicly correcting him when he got the crime statistics wrong at a press conference. They had a professional working relationship but Gates knew that he would take great pleasure in inserting a spanner into her wheel if he had the chance. He had responsibility for human resource issues and she knew that, even if she had gone direct to the Commissioner, he would have consulted Mahon before making his decision. The DC wasn't stupid; he might smell a rat and double bluff her but that was a chance she had to take. She'd spent many hours of her weekend puzzling over the problem and had decided that this risky approach offered the only possibility for Richard Castle to continue to work at her precinct.

She smiled to herself as she walked the long corridor away from Mahon's plush office, thinking how delighted she would have been two years ago to have such a perfect excuse to get rid of the writer. It had certainly taken a while for him to grow on her but somehow he'd managed to wheedle his way into her good books. Mostly it was because he was unexpectedly useful to them. His ability to think outside the box had helped them solve more cases than she'd like to admit, though she still maintained that Detective Beckett relied on him more than necessary. Beckett was one of the best NYPD had and it didn't please Gates to acknowledge that even the best could benefit from a layman's help.

But it wasn't just the skills he had honed as a mystery novelist that she appreciated. There was no doubt that he brightened the tough days in the bull pen, even if it was by behaving like an idiot and giving them all something to laugh at. He was cocky, irresponsible and irritating, but he was also loyal, dependable when it mattered, and completely devoted to Beckett. She'd be sad to lose him from her team and she hoped that she'd played her cards cleverly enough to ensure that he could stay. Now she'd have to wait and see.

**Sorry it's taken me longer than usual to update. It's been a busy week. Thanks for your continued love and support. Your reviews mean so much and help me to cope with the writer's insecurities that plague me. I think I might have ****underestimated how much story I still have to tell so at least a couple of more chapters to come - and perhaps a third story in the series if I'm going to manage to fulfil your wish lists. **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

'Just go home, Castle,' Kate said, dropping her head into her hands.

She was trying to clear some paperwork and he was helping in his own inimitable way, laughing to himself as he read through statements, providing a running commentary of his opinions about everything, and making airplanes out of the documents that she was discarding. That was the final straw. She loved him. He made her laugh like nobody else ever could. He lightened her load and her days. But sometimes he drove her crazy and this was one of those times.

'What? Why? You always complain that I don't help with paperwork and here I am doing my bit and now you don't want me?' he said, his voice rising to soprano heights.

'If doing your bit is scattering paper all over the office for me to pick up later so it can be shredded, I'd rather you didn't.' Kate gestured to the fruits of his labour littering the surrounding floor and desks.

'You shred that stuff? You said it was garbage.'

'If you ever paid attention to paperwork you would know that that garbage has information about people. Would you want some reporter to find stuff about you by digging through NYPD's trash?'

He stuck out his bottom lip like a sulky schoolboy. 'No. I'll pick it all up but please let me stay.'

She didn't reply but she followed his progress around the room as he gathered his aircraft from their various landing places, chatting to everyone on his way and raising plenty of smiles as he worked his way through the bull pen. If Gates couldn't manage to keep him here, she wasn't the only one who'd miss him.

Esposito was holding up one of Castle's efforts by the tail as if it were vermin.

'Don't you know anything about aeronautics, bro? There's no way that was going more than two feet. Hell, you can't even call that a paper airplane.'

'Really? My Stealth Fighter can out fly anything that you can make.'

'Yeah? Is that a challenge? I should warn you that I _have_ served in Iraq.'

'And you travelled the country in paper planes?' Castle asked, raising his brows.

'When we had down time we had flying competitions. I was the undisputed champion. You in bro?' Esposito said, offering a sheet of A4 to Ryan, who took it with a shrug.

'I'm a writer! What do you think I do most of the day? What are we playing for?' Castle said, tongue between his teeth as he constructed his plane.

'Loser pays for burgers at Remy's and second place buys the drinks,' said Esposito, putting the final touches to his sleek creation.

Kate watched with a shake of her head, a grin playing around the edges of her mouth. They were overgrown kids and Castle was the biggest kid of them all. Even when he irritated the hell out of her, she'd rather have him around than not. If he went home, she'd miss him but she had no intention of telling him that.

The three of them lined up side-by-side, Esposito thrusting out his chest, ready for battle, and Castle looking smugly confident. Ryan, relaxed and less than riveted by the whole thing, made up the numbers.

'Yo, Beckett. Give us a count down,' called Esposito.

'Seriously?' she sighed. 'Three, two, one,' she said quickly and they launched their aircraft.

Esposito's veered left and hit the wall, and Castle's swerved to the right while Ryan's glided gracefully across the bull pen for at least twenty feet.

'Back row at St Joseph's choir practice. Mine's a half-pounder with everything and a Bud,' he said, walking towards his plane without looking at either of them.

'Beers are on me. You're springing for the burgers,' Esposito said.

'Fair,' agreed Castle, trotting after his plane that had come to ground on Kate's desk.

'Look, he knows his way home. Can we keep him?'

She rolled her eyes, her lips pressed tightly together, trying to suppress the smile that was tugging on her mouth as she watched his poor attempts to unfold the pile of paper he'd gathered up.

'Why don't you make some coffee?' She traced her fingertips over the back of his hand.

'I can stay?'

'If you promise to be good.' A flick of her brows told him she wasn't only talking about the filing.

'I think you'll find that I'm always good, Detective.' He captured her fingers in his and held her gaze with a hint of a pout of his lips and that was how Gates found them.

'Detective Beckett, Mr Castle. Would you join me now please?'

The Captain didn't slow her pace as she strode past Kate's desk on her way from the elevator to her office and they snatched their hands apart, exchanging an anxious glance as they followed her.

'I've just been to see the Deputy Commissioner and I've told him I want you out, Mr Castle,' Gates said, closing the door.

'But… but… you… I don't…what…' Castle's face clouded with confusion.

Kate said nothing, stunned by the Captain's words. She'd expected a lecture about inappropriate workplace behaviour, not this blindside.

'Sit down. Both of you. Please,' she added as they continued standing, staring at her in disbelief.

Castle dropped into a chair but Kate, remained on her feet, her jaw tightening. She had begun to trust and respect this woman and now she'd stabbed them in the back, giving the knife a twist for good measure. Had she told them this morning that Castle had to go, they'd have accepted it as probably inevitable. It would have been hard but they would have understood that the rules made it difficult for her to do anything else. But to give them hope, to make them think that she was on their side, and now this… Castle looked crushed and the hurt on his face was heartbreaking. When Castle gave his trust, he gave it completely and he was devastated when people let him down, as she knew only too well from her own experience. Her hands balled into fists as she turned to Gates, anger overwhelming her.

'Sir,...' she spat out but Gates interrupted.

'Detective, please sit and let me explain.'

Her voice was gentle but Kate was far from mollified and she chose to stand beside Castle's chair, her jaw clenched and her hand resting on his shoulder because what did it matter now? Her unwavering eyes met Gates' steady gaze and the glimpse of understanding and hint of kindness she saw there were bewilderingly at odds with what the woman had just said. She squeezed Castle's shoulder and he reached up to cover her hand. The Captain looked from one to the other before she started speaking.

'Deputy Commissioner Mahon has spent most of his career behind a desk dealing with rules and regulations. He's an expert in human resource matters and he's the Commissioner's go-to man for all things related to the rulebook. Mahon and I_, well, let's just say that he doesn't like me very much and the feeling is mutual. If he thought that I wanted you to stay, Mr Castle, he'd make sure that you were gone within a day. I had to make him believe that I wanted to get rid of you.'

Kate felt Castle's sagging shoulders tense under her hand. She glanced down to see the animation return to his expressive face. He released her hand and sat forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped together, engrossed by the Captain's words.

'Nice. I like it. Very Shakespearean. You tell him you want one thing so he does the opposite, which is exactly what you wanted all the time. Devious, Captain. I like it. A lot.'

'Thank you, but if you knew Mahon, you'd understand that we're far from home and dry, Mr Castle. If this is going to work, I'm going to need your help. Mahon has a way of finding out what's going on everywhere so it needs to be convincing. I think you should tell your friend the Mayor that I'm trying to force you out. And you both need to make it seem like you're really mad with me. I don't think you'll need to try hard. Just remember how you felt when your came in to this office a few minutes ago. And don't let on to those two what's going on,' she said, indicating Esposito and Ryan with a twitch of her chin.

'Are you sure, Sir? They'll be pretty upset. We've already told them that you want Castle to stay,' Kate asked, concerned about how badly Javi and Kevin would take the news.

'Perfect. Upset is what we need if we're going to fool Mahon. Mr Castle, you should go home now and Kate, the fist balling was good. More of that. Okay. Ready for the performance?'

'Sir? Thank you,' said Kate.

'It's too early for that.'

'No, Sir. It's not. What ever happens, thank you for trying. It means a lot.'

Castle nodded his agreement as he got to his feet, obviously moved by Gates' actions on his behalf, and Kate realised that she was more than grateful. She was relieved that her trust in the Captain wasn't misplaced. They might not be friends but they were more than co-workers and it was good to know that she had their backs.

'Well, it'll all be useless if you keep looking at me like that. You're supposed to hate me, remember?'

'I think you should get Mother to give you some tips, Beckett. Acting isn't really your forte as we discovered when that film crew was here.'

'Will you just…' She turned and pulling open the door, strode out with a toss of her head.

'Excellent, Mr Castle. All you need to do is be yourself and Detective Beckett won't even need to act.'

'Be my… Well that's not very…' He frowned and followed Kate.

The Captain peered after them over her glasses, turning her attention to their two partners who were watching curiously. They looked away as she paused with her hand on the doorknob, narrowing her eyes at them, before closing them all out with a bang.

The boys edged over to Kate's desk, staying vigilant in case Gates should look up.

'What's going on?' Ryan asked.

'Gates wants me out.' Castle kicked his chair, his uncharacteristic behaviour causing them to start.

'Whoa. But you said she wanted you to stay,' Esposito said.

'That's what she said but not what she meant. See you at home,' he added to Kate, picking up his jacket and walking to the elevator without looking back.

'What's Gates up to, Beckett?' Ryan asked, keeping his voice low.

'She's never liked him, Kevin. You know that. Iron Gates is back with a vengeance,' Kate glared at her Captain's office, a pang of guilt making it hard to maintain her show of anger. She understood the logic of not telling the boys what was really going on but Gates didn't deserve the cold shoulder treatment that she was sure they were going to mete out. They'd be hurt too. Victoria Gates could never replace Roy Montgomery but the longer she'd been at the 12th, the more she'd become part of the team.

'Really? I thought…' Esposito shook his head and frowned.

'Better get back to work. She's in a bad enough mood already,' Kate said, picking up a file and biting her lip.

She'd have to work at seeming mad with Gates but she didn't need to fake the worry. Would she want to keep turning up here everyday if Castle wasn't with her? Maybe she should have taken the DC job after all. It would be easier to do something completely different rather than this without him. Her phone pinged and she opened the message.

"_Miss you already."_

"_Me too"_ she sent back, looking at the files on her desk and trying to dredge up some enthusiasm for her task but finding none.

"_Where are you?" _She started loading everything on her desk into filing boxes as she waited for his reply.

"_Carlo's getting coffee."_

_"Get one for me. On my way." _

She pushed her hair behind her ears and, with a half smile at the boys, left to join him.

* * *

He was sitting in an easy chair in the corner sipping his drink. Her mug was waiting for her on the table beside a cinnamon roll and two forks. He stood to meet her and she fell against his chest, needing the reassurance of his arms that had automatically closed around her.

'Hey? You okay?' he said tenderly into her hair.

'Yeah. I'm fine now.'

She pulled away, giving him a quick kiss before sitting down, choosing the chair next to his rather than the one across the table and curling towards him.

'You finished early. I thought I wouldn't see you for another couple of hours.'

'I figured it would add credence to bing mad with Gates if I walked out. Besides, you were missing me.'

The look she threw him was saucy enough for a flash of desire to darken his eyes and she grinned, tongue between her teeth as she reached for the cinnamon roll. She balanced the plate on the arms of the chairs between them and handed him one of the forks.

'This is enough to feed a family,' she said, chewing a mouthful of bun.

'We are a family,' he answered, and she beamed at him.

They ate in comfortable silence, laughing eyes meeting as their forks squabbled over the last piece of icing covered roll. He won, spearing the cake on his fork but offering it it her, as she knew he would. She nibbled a bit off the end leaving him the last bite.

'So, what's up, Kate?' he said, taking a slurp of coffee to wash down his food.

She sighed. There was no point in pretending that she wasn't worried. He knew her too well.

'What if Gates' plan doesn't work and we can't work together anymore?'

'Don't worry. It's a great plan. Who would have thought that Gates could be so cunning.'

'I've heard a lot about Mahon, Castle. He's got to where he is through scheming and calculating. He's the sort of guy who's always plotting something and probably thinks everyone else is too. I'm not so sure he won't smell a rat and figure out exactly what Gates is up to.'

She kept her eyes on his arm, stroking the soft blue cotton of his sleeve, not wanting him to see how much she dreaded the possibility of not working alongside him anymore.

'Why should he? Particularly with the Mayor confirming Gates' story. Relax we'll be fine.'

She worried at her lip and he tilted her chin with his thumb so she was forced to meet his eyes.

'Kate, whatever happens we'll always be partners. Even if we can't work together.'

Somehow, when it mattered, he always managed to say just the right thing and she wondered just when it was that sceptical Kate Beckett had become so easily reassured. She grinned and leant across their coffees to kiss him lightly.

'What do you say, we move some more of my stuff into the loft after this?

His answering smile, the one that was only hers, made her hitch her breath in awe that she could make him so happy with just a few words.

**Thanks so much for your reviews, follows and kindness. Is this getting too mushy? Do you think it needs some angst? xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Many thanks for continuing to read and review. Hearing from you keeps me motivated. Sorry this chapter has taken a while to produce. My son has been sick. Nothing serious but you know what men are like…**

Chapter 16

Kate sat crossed legged on the floor surrounded by boxes. There wasn't much left to pack. She hadn't realised just how much of her stuff – of her life – had migrated to the loft. Her posters and paintings were now stacked against the wall ready to be collected by the removal company that Castle had hired. Kate had said that it wasn't necessary but he'd insisted. She'd always just piled stuff into her car before, with her dad helping with the things that she couldn't manage on her own, but Castle's automatic reaction was to pay someone to take care of it. It was, she thought, one of many examples of the differences between them. As she looked around at the bare walls and empty shelves she felt a flutter of apprehension.

She'd never committed to living with anyone before. At college she'd shared rooms with other girls but that was just for a few semesters at most and she could hardly wait to get a place of her own. This apartment used to be her refuge from the world. The place that she felt safest, where she would run and hide from a tough case, a bad day, her mother's murder, men she didn't love.

Castle had never respected her boundaries and he'd breezed into her apartment just like he'd breezed into her life, instantly making himself at home. In the days when he'd turn up with a bunch of flowers because he knew she was upset, or to share the epiphany he'd had about a case, or to offer her support that she didn't know she'd needed until she'd opened her door, he'd found his way around the kitchen, making coffee, finding the corkscrew and wine glasses, checking out the contents of her fridge and, amazingly, she hadn't minded. Other men had made it through the door but only by invitation. Tom Demming once, Josh more often.

Josh had made it all the way to her bed but he never had a key much less a drawer. Now she thought about it, he'd rarely stuck around for breakfast, leaving early to save the world or in the middle of the night if he was paged. She hadn't minded that. After all, she was often dragged out of bed in the small hours by a call from the precinct. If she had occasionally woken to an empty bed with a pang of regret, she'd also sometimes woken wishing she were alone. With Castle it was different. He never left her in the night unless it was to write and when she woke to the warmth of his body next to hers, she hadn't once wished him elsewhere.

'Kate? Are you okay?' She was roused from her musings by his voice and she looked up to see him standing over her, a pile of books from the bedroom in his hands.

'I'm fine.' She controlled the urge to chew her lip but he still cocked his head to one side, his blue eyes questioning under his raised brows.

'What?'

'You were miles away when I came in. I was asking if you wanted me to order Chinese.'

'Right. Good idea.' She pushed her hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze towards the boxes.

He added his books to one of the boxes and sat on the chair behind her, and she relaxed into his strong hands as they rested on her shoulders, his magic thumbs going to work on the knots at the base of her neck she hadn't even realised were there.

'Maybe we should call it a day. We can finish up at the weekend.'

'Hmm.' She dropped her head forward, rolling it from side to side, enjoying the feel of him.

'Is that a yes or a no?'

'Ahh, that's the spot. Don't stop,' she said when he stilled his hands at her hiss of pain.

He continued to massage her neck and shoulders until she dropped back to rest her back between his legs.

'Are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to torture you some more?'

She leant her head back so she could see him. There was that knowing look in his eyes that meant that he'd caught her out at something but he wasn't judging. He ran his fingers through her hair as he watched her.

'You can torture me like that anytime,' she said, reaching up to link her fingers with his.

'You are evading the question, Detective.' He quirked his brows at her and she had to laugh.

'That looks really weird upside down.'

'And yet more evasion.'

She lifted her head to look around the room but kept hold of his hand.

'I've lived here for over three years.'

'You'll miss it.' It wasn't a question but she considered it like was, eventually shaking her head.

'I don't think so.' She twisted to face him, getting to her feet in one smooth movement and pulling him up to join her, kissing him lightly on his jaw.

'Are you sure that that's all the furniture you want to take?' he said, wrapping his arms around her as he nodded to the small wooden chest by the door.

'Yes. You might remember I didn't manage to salvage much when my old apartment blew up. Dad gave me that when i moved here and it's the only piece worth keeping. Mum kept her sewing stuff in it.'

'Do you keep your sewing stuff in there. Beckett?'

She punched his chest.

'You know full well that my sewing stuff is two needles and some thread in case I have to sew on a button and plenty of iron-on double sided tape for emergencies.'

'So what's in the chest?' He dropped his arms, his eyes lighting up with curiosity and she grabbed his arm, halting his progress across the room.

'You mean you've never looked?'

'Are you accusing my of snooping?'

'I know you, Castle. If a door's closed you have to open it. Refrigerator, closet complete with skeleton, secret passageway, Ark of the Covenant…'

'Hey, I didn't open the Ark. That was you and look at the trouble that landed us in?' he interrupted.

Kate opened her mouth to object but then closed it again, acknowledging a hit with a dip of her head.

'But you can't tell me you've never looked in that chest,' she challenged him, hands on hips.

'I would have if I'd noticed it but I don't remember seeing it before.'

'It was in the corner of the bedroom.'

'Ah, but my attention is always elsewhere in the bedroom,' he said, snagging her wrist and pulling her towards him.

She leant back, feigning reluctance, before yielding and pressing her body against his, her hands snaking around his waist. His arms enveloped her and he rested his chin on her head.

'As I was saying, what's up?'

She huffed out a sigh against his chest.

'God, you're persistent.'

'Where would we be if I wasn't?'

He wasn't going to drop it and she felt a tinge of irritation that they'd swung from not communicating enough to having to talk everything out. Some things might be better left unsaid, particularly if she hadn't had a chance to think them through first. But keeping things to herself had led them to the brink of disaster so…

'This is big. Moving in together.'

He tensed, the hand that had been stroking her back, halting. Neither of them spoke for a full minute until he eventually broke the silence.

'Are you saying you don't want this?'

'No, Castle. No! It's just… big.'

She felt him relax and he rocked them gently from side to side.

'It is, Kate. Big. It's a big commitment but, you know, most married people live with each other. At least at first. And we're getting married so…' He let the sentence trail off leaving her to fill in the blanks.

'I know and I want to. Live with you when we're married…'

'That's good.'

'And I want to live with you now. It's just…'

'Big.'

'Yeah, it's big.'

'But you want to?'

'Absolutely.'

'Then it's not so big. How many nights have you spent here in the last month, Kate?'

'I'm not sure. Maybe seven or eight.'

'Seven. Four of them without me.'

She hugged him tighter because he'd counted.

'So this thing we're doing, it isn't big. It's just making it official,' he continued.

'Yeah. You're right.' She stretched up to kiss his chin.

'I'm always right.'

She pinched him and pulled away.

'Jackass!'

'Thank you. And something else I'm right about,' he said, steering her towards the bedroom with a hand in the small of her back, 'is this.'

'Castle, I'm hungry. Let's wait until after dinner.'

'Katherine Beckett, do you think about anything other than sex?'

'Ha! That's rich coming from you.'

'The thing that I'm right about is this,' he said, dropping his hand when they reached the bedroom and walking across to the dresser. 'We're taking this with us.'

'But there are lots of dressers in the loft. Half empty dressers.'

'Kate, you can't expect me to just leave my first Valentine's gift from you. It's my drawer. I need my drawer.'

She felt her breath catch in his chest. Sometimes she was overwhelmed by how much she loved this man. She beamed at him and he grinned back and she knew he was right. Moving in together wasn't big. It was perfect.

'So what do you say to a last roll in the sack in your bed?' he said, swaggering towards her, his eyes tempting her.

'Jeez, so romantic writer monkey. No.' She shook her head and the hands that had just reached for her hips paused.

'No?'

'No. Let's go home, Rick, and roll in _our _sack.'

'Now that is the best idea you've had all day.'

She snatched a quick kiss before taking his hand and leading him to the door.

'We'll pick up Chinese on the way.'

'After.'

'On the way. I'm hungry,' she said, pulling the door shut behind them without a backward glance.

**I get it. You don't want angst. I agree – there's more than enough out there. So. I'll stick with fluff, humour and a bit of drama if that's what you'd prefer. I'm about to go on holiday so please be patient if updates take even longer than usual. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Are you still with me? I'm so sorry for the long delay. I've just got back from a wonderful holiday. I was relaxing too much to write updates but I've got lots of new ideas of how to take this story forward. Now let's find out what's in the chest…**

Chapter 17

Kate paused in the hallway outside her apartment with her long middle finger suspended an inch from the elevator call button. She cocked her head to look up at Castle who was standing behind her, his hand resting on her hip.

'What?' he asked, trying not to show his quiver of concern that maybe he hadn't done enough to allay her worries about moving in together.

'What?' he repeated, dropping his hand when she didn't answer, both thankful and apprehensive that far from looking unsure about leaving her apartment, she was assessing him through narrowed eyes, making him wonder what he might have done wrong.

'Did you truly never open that chest?' she asked and he sighed with relief.

'Nope. Never.' He shook his head, certain of his innocence of this particular crime.

'Hmm.' She raised her brows and turned back to the elevator, pressing the call button.

'Wait, you're not going to tell me what's inside?' He grabbed her elbow and pulled her back as the elevator arrived, his curiosity now thoroughly piqued.

'I don't think you're ready to know, Castle.' She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall, letting the doors slide shut.

'Oh, I'm ready,' he asserted, stepping towards her and lowering his brows, meeting the challenge in her eyes with a widening of his own.

'I'm not sure you can take it.' She ran her teeth over her bottom lip, teasing him, and he resisted the urge trap her against the wall and cover her mouth with his because now he really needed to know what was in that chest.

'I can definitely take it.' He moistened his lips, his gaze flicking from her eyes to her mouth and back, taking in her dilated pupils. Dinner was going to be late tonight.

She used her elbows to push herself away from the wall so she was close enough for him to feel her warm breath on his neck and he tilted towards her, diverted from his purpose, desire making him forget about the secrets she was hiding in her mother's chest. He lowered his eyelids and opened his mouth, edging towards her shining lips with a tremor of anticipation. For a moment, her warm hands seared through his shirt as they rested on his biceps. Then she abruptly pushed him away.

'Let's see how ready you are.'

She strode past him pulling her keys out of her pocket and, after taking a moment to get his breath under control, he spun to follow her, eagerness to get out of the too public hallway hastening his steps. She was through the door and switching on the light by the time he caught up. The sudden glare cast harsh shadows making the bare room unfamiliar and uninviting but Kate didn't seemed bothered by that as she stopped beside the wooden trunk and swung round to look at him and Castle felt a familiar quickening of his pulse because he was about to learn something new about her. Unpeeling the Beckett onion never lost its appeal. He'd only glanced at the chest earlier but now he examined it. Oak, he thought, and a bit battered around the edges as if it had been moved around a few times. It was no more than two feet long and about as high as it was wide. Maybe eighteen inches. Big enough to hold… what? What did Katherine Beckett keep in her mother's sewing chest?

'What's your theory?'

'Ha?'

'You always have a theory, Castle. What do you think is in the chest?'

He didn't have a clue but she was giving him that hopeful look she had when she was waiting to find out what crazy ideas he had about a case they were working together and his eyes lit up in response.

'Um… It's your collection of romantic novels, your prom dress, your porn collection, evidence of your wild child phase, cosplay outfits…' he said in one breath, his mouth struggling to keep up with his wild imagination.

'Tsk, is that the best you can do?' She interrupted, with a classic roll of her eyes. She shook her head in mock disappointment, uncrossing her arms to put her hands on her hips with an almost imperceptible thrust of her pelvis in his direction that caused him to stutter to a halt. God, she was hot when she teased him.

'Just… er… I… You're distracting me. Just give me a minute.' He closed his eyes trying to banish thoughts of Kate dressed in a tight red Electra bodice, bare legs straddling him…

'Turn around,' she ordered and he snapped his eyes open.

'And close your mouth. You're drooling.'

He wiped his dry lips. No drool. That was good. She spun a finger in the air and he slowly turned to face the kitchen.

'No peeking,' she barked, as he tried to steal a glance over his shoulder.

He heard rustling and a clatter of something hard hitting wood, swallowing in expectation as the lid slammed shut. Any moment now, she'd reveal some new, exciting, and probably agonizingly sexy facet of herself to him. He held his breath, waiting for the instruction to turn back, but it didn't come. Instead he heard the bedroom door slam behind him and he spun on his heel.

'Wait there. I'll just be a couple of minutes,' came her muffled shout.

He paced as he waited, unable to concentrate on anything. He could feel cold sweat on his forehead. She was changing. He was sure. Whatever was in that box was no prom dress. Just when he thought he couldn't wait any longer, she threw open the door and stepped out.

She was clad from toe to chin in tight black leather; her motorbike helmet tucked under one arm and another dangling by its chinstrap from her other hand. Castle held his breath at the sight of the double-zipped jacket that hid nothing of the rise of her breasts and the skin-tight trousers that disappeared into knee high boots. He swallowed, his gaze climbing slowly back up her impossibly long legs, lingering over her hips before she drew them higher with a toss of her head, her chestnut waves falling over her shoulders. He licked his lips, his breath shallow and insufficient to clear the fuzziness in his head.

'I told you that you couldn't handle the sight of me in tight black leather, Rick,' she said with a shake of her head. 'Here's your helmet.'

She held out the red helmet to him as she sashayed past him. He took it automatically but remained rooted to the spot.

'You coming, Castle?' She held the door open, glancing over her shoulder.

'Yeah,' he said, breathless, juddering into motion and trotting after her, his jaw slack.

She smirked, obviously enjoying the power she held over him but he didn't care. The only thing he could think of better than Beckett in leather was peeling leather off her.

'Castle!' She seized his attention as they rode the elevator down.

'Ah?'

'I asked you a question.' She bent her head to meet his eyes that had become fixated on her hips.

'Wha'?'

'I asked if you ever wondered where I kept my leathers?'

'I… um… I… You… Where… All, er, all the time we've been together, all the time I've known you, I've never seen your bike. I guess I thought you might have got rid of it.' He couldn't take her eyes off her as she relaxed into the corner of the elevator, one hand cradling her black helmet while the other played with the hair at the back of her head.

'Had to break you in, Rick. Too much, too soon – I don't think you could have coped. Anyway, you have seen me.'

'Nah, nah. I'd _definitely_ remember that.' He shook his head adamantly from side to side.

'Last time was about three weeks ago when I went to meet my dad after work. I rode straight past you outside the precinct.'

'That's so not fair!'

'Don't worry. You'll have plenty of opportunity now we're living together. I even bought you your own helmet so you can straddle me from behind,' she said stepping out into the lobby without a backward glance and he had to dart after her before the doors closed on him, struggling to catch his breath.

'This is my own helmet? Not motorcycle boy's?' he said, forcing himself to focus on something other than straddling her.

'No! I wouldn't give you my ex-boyfriend's helmet, Castle. That would be weird and... yuk!'

He trailed behind her on to the sidewalk that was bathed in the golden light and long shadows of summer dusk and he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought of Josh before glaring at the smooth guy dressed by Brooks Brothers who had stopped to openly admire his girlfriend.

Kate turned into a lane beside her building that housed a motorcycle parking area that he'd noticed in passing but had never given any attention. She stopped beside a grey and black bike with sparkling chrome.

'1994 Harley softtail. What do you think?' she asked, a proprietorial hand resting on the engine.

'Shiny!'

'I like to buff her up in my spare time.' She ran her fingers over the handlebars and then swung her leg elegantly over the saddle, pulling on the gauntlets that he hadn't noticed had been tucked inside the helmet that was now balanced between her thighs, doing nothing for his self-control.

'I'll be able to park her at the loft, right?' She looked up at him questioningly.

'No problem.'

'Great. Hop on then.' She slipped on her helmet, tightening the strap so it was snug under her chin.

'Right. I um…' He fumbled with the clasp of the helmet, feeling a flush steal up his cheeks. He had been so overwhelmed by Kate in leather he hadn't thought about riding the bike.

'Here, let me.' Kate snapped the clasp open with her thumb and forefinger and he swallowed as he fitted it on his head, over tightening it to make sure it wouldn't fall off.

'Castle? You okay?' she asked, resting a hand on his thigh.

'Um, I've never… It's, er, my first time, Kate.'

'You've never been on a bike?' She was incredulous and he felt a failure.

He shook his head, looking down at his toes.

'Hey, don't worry. You're in safe hands. I'll teach you how to ride. But right now all you have to do is get on behind me and hold on.' She stood up, still straddling the bike, and loosened the strap under his chin, her glove resting gently on his neck for a moment. He met her gaze and saw understanding not judgement.

'Trust me. All you have to do is slide on behind me and squeeze up close. That's not so hard, is it? And then when we get home you can help me take these off.' She dropped her lids and cast him a smouldering glance through her lashes.

'Right.' He slung his leg over, clumsily clattering his knee against the low seat back.

As soon as he was in place she settled back against him, wriggling her hips and all thoughts of nervousness were gone.

'I see – I should say feel – that you're beginning to enjoy this already.'

'Oh yeah,' he gasped, biting hard on his bottom lip.

'Okay. Hold on now. Castle! Lower!'

'Sorry.' He slid his hands down from where they'd come to rest on her breasts.

She gasped. 'Castle! Not that low. My waist. Hold on to my waist.'

'Right. Waist. Of course.'

'How come you've never been on a bike?' she asked.

'Never had a girlfriend hot enough to own one before,' he said, wrapping his arms right around her middle and clutching his hands tightly together as Kate kicked down hard and smoothly joined the traffic.

* * *

Across town, Deputy Commissioner Mahon sank back into his soft leather chair, closing the file that he'd spent the last half hour reading and dropping in onto his lap. The glow from his desk lamp highlighted the publicity photograph of Richard Castle from a few years back that was stapled to the top right hand corner of the buff coloured cover. He stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles. He had no doubt that Victoria Gates was playing him. He just needed to work out exactly how devious she was being then he'd make sure that she learned it wasn't a good idea to try to beat Michael Mahon at his own game.

**I'm always grateful for your reviews and suggestions. xxx**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

They were eating their Chinese straight from the cartons, too hungry for plates and too relaxed for the table. Kate, her bathrobe loosely tied, sat crossed legged on the couch with her back to the arm, completely focussed on her Shanghai noodles. She worked her chopped sticks quickly, eager to allay her hunger, not looking up until she'd eaten half the carton. Castle was sitting at the other end of the couch, a tray of Great Wall red and white boxes between them. He closed his eyes, enjoying the shredded pork, giving Kate an opportunity to study him. He'd pulled on a navy t-shirt that clung tightly over his pecs and accentuated his broad shoulders. He was a big man, she thought, her eyes drifting down to his grey shorts. Oh yeah. She smiled, her teeth resting on her bottom lip.

'Katherine Beckett, are you checking me out?'

She snapped her eyes up to meet his, a hint of a blush warming her cheeks.

'No!'

'You so were,' he said with a smug grin.

She sucked in the noodle that was dangling from her mouth and, putting the box on the tray, she held out her hand.

'Shut up and give me my pork.'

He had one more mouthful before relinquishing the carton to her, turning his attention to the lemon chicken, flicking a sideways look in her direction every few mouthfuls. She grinned as she chewed, feeling very much at home with him in their loft. Yeah, she could do this.

'Was that really your first time?' she asked, wiping sauce off her chin with the back of her hand.

He raised his brows at her and she rolled her eyes in response.

'You know what I mean.'

'Actually, it was one of two firsts for me tonight.'

'Huh?'

'First time on a motorcycle, - which I loved, by the way - and, even more fun, the first time I've peeled off your leathers.' He smirked, popping a prawn dumpling into his mouth.

'You need more practice at both.'

'Is that an invitation?'

'Could be. I'm really surprised you never had a bike. You seem to have bought almost everything else.'

'Ouch!' He grimaced. 'That was a low blow. I had a pushbike when I started college and after my first book became a bestseller, I bought a Porsche. I sort of missed out the whole motorcycle step.'

'Porsche, ha? A bike is so much more fun. All that power between you legs…'

'Maybe I already had enough power between my legs.' He did his eyebrow dance and she laughed, putting the carton on the tray beside the unopened fried rice and spicy beef.

'I know what's for lunch tomorrow. I told you that you were ordering way too much.'

'You also told me that you were hungry enough to eat a horse. Hopefully you haven't,' he said, opening the beef to sniff it.

He put the tray on to the coffee table and she stretched out her legs, resting her feet on his thigh, but the foot massage she was hoping for was interrupted before it began by her phone.

'Damn!' she said, checking the caller ID as she grabbed the cell from the table, 'It's the precinct.'

'Beckett._ Hey Ryan. What's up?_ Okay. We'll be right there._ Gates said what?_ Right. Yeah. Don't get me started. See you in twenty.'

'Body drop?' asked Castle.

'Hmm. Sounds grim. A butcher who's been… er… butchered.'

'Great. Let's get going.' He dropped her feet to the floor and was up, eager as ever for a gory crime scene.

'Castle, Gates told Ryan that she didn't want you there.'

'What? Crap!'

'You know she's trying to help us,' she said, stroking his arm on her way to the bedroom.

'I know. But a butchered butcher?' he huffed.

'Don't worry. I keep you updated.' She smiled sympathetically.

* * *

Larry's Meats was a Midtown West institution but Kate didn't think they'd be getting much custom for a while. Larry Junior, who'd taken over the business when his father died, was suspended from a meat hook in the cold room, or rather his torso was. His head was still attached but there was no sign of his limbs.

'Hey, Lanie. This is… messy,' Kate said, buttoning up her jacket. She was standing three feet away from her friend to avoid the lake of blood under the body.

'You can say that again.' Lanie walked around what was left of the butcher, visually examining him.

'What can you tell me?' Kate asked, a wrinkle of her nose the only sign of her disgust at the scene.

'No obvious c.o.d. From the amount of the blood I can tell you he was dissected very shortly after death or he was still alive when they started. Okay, you can cut him down now,' she added to a uniformed officer.

'I'll be able to tell you more when I get him back to the lab. I should be able to determine how he died from what I've got. Fortunately, whoever did this left all the vital parts.'

'Not all the _vital_ parts.' Esposito joined them from the back of the cold room, gingerly holding a plastic bag at arms length.

'Is that…?' Kate raised her brows.

'It is. Just found it with the fillets of steak along with an arm.'

'Who found him?' Kate caught sight of a young man, probably no more than eighteen, sitting on a chair wrapped in a blanket.

'Dan Dixon,' Ryan said, walking up, notebook in hand. 'He's a trainee butcher. Been working here for a year. Said he forgot his phone. He usually opens up in the morning so he used his keys to let himself in. Light was on back here so he came through to turn it off and found…' He swung his arm like half a theatrical bow in the direction of the body.

'He identified him?'

'Larry Hudson Junior, proprietor and master butcher.'

'This is right up Castle's street.' Esposito shook his head.

'Did Captain Gates really throw him out? He will be back though, right?' Lanie asked, sitting on a stool to remove her blood-splattered boots.

'I… I hope so. But I'm not sure.' It suddenly struck Kate that she might have actually worked her last crime scene with her partner and she stared unseeingly at the body, acutely aware that if he were here, he'd be cracking some completely inappropriate joke. She bit her bottom lip, and shook her head in an effort to clear it of thoughts of him so that she could concentrate on the important work that she needed to do.

'Um… Time of death?'

'Dixon says that when he left at six Hudson was locking up for the night. He found him just before ten.'

'Cas… I mean, Ryan and I will talk to Dixon. Espo, can you start the ball rolling on known associates, anyone he had any issues with. The usual.'

'On it. I'll check if anyone had a _beef_ with him,' Esposito said.

'That's Castle standard bro,' Ryan said, appreciatively, fist bumping his partner.

* * *

The first glow of dawn was appearing above the skyscrapers when Kate finally got home, slipping silently into bed beside Castle. She'd taken a few minutes away from the growing mosaic on the murder board to update him, his frustration at missing out on the case obvious. After he'd called her four times with increasingly outlandish theories, she told him to go to bed. The pattern was repeated in the next few days with Kate putting in long days and Castle getting increasingly restless at his inability to join her. It was funny. She'd never imagined that she'd be one of those women who would spend everyday with someone and then want to go home with him. Some couples would want to kill each other if they spent as much time together as she did with her writer but she couldn't get enough. Castle had changed her in so many ways or, maybe, he'd just revealed who she really was.

Now they were spending most of their time apart, she found herself clock watching more than she ever had. Her phone was always close at hand and she'd swing between irritation at his frequent texts and calls, and concern when she didn't hear from him a while. She called him every time they uncovered a new piece of the puzzle, eager both for his take on the fresh information, his silly jokes and just the sound of his voice. Domestically, they slipped into a comfortable routine. Coffee and breakfast were ready for her every morning, he did the grocery shopping and laundry, picked up her dry-cleaning and cooked her dinner. And, after each tough day, he soothed her as only he could, sensing whether she just needed a backrub and a bath or a more intimate encounter.

'You might be the perfect housewife,' she said to him one evening as he served her his delicious penne a la carbonara.

'You want to see my resume? I've got lots of experience. I am so the man for the job,' he said, catching a drip from the serving spoon on his tongue.

'So I see. Did you manage to get any writing done today in between your chores?'

'Most of a chapter. Don't forget, I'm used to writing while looking after Alexis. I'm the epitome of the productive stay-at-home father.'

More than once, Kate had imagined how well this could work when they had kids. But, as well-oiled a machine as they were, she missed him and she knew that although she was going to marry a man with proven parenthood skills, when they had little baby Castles, she wanted to share those responsibilities. Twelve hours or more a day spent away from her husband and children was not Kate Beckett's idea of family life but that was a discussion for another time. What she needed now was to get her work partner back and she had no doubt that he wanted the same. His texts were getting more frequent everyday and he was downright fretful whenever he knew that she was out following up a lead, reminding her to take care and not take any risks. They'd saved each other too often for her to make him hollow promises so she just reassured him that the boys were keeping an extra close eye on her in his absence.

'Did you call the mayor?' she asked, taking a sip of the merlot he'd poured for her.

'Missing me?'

That earned him an eye roll but any edge was taken off by her grin.

'He's out of the country. I'll talk to him when he gets back on Thusday.'

She simply nodded, keeping her worries to herself for now. He was stressed enough about what they both hoped was his temporary exclusion.

* * *

Mahon hadn't been idle. He'd gathered a wealth of information about Richard Castle and his relationship with Detective Beckett. It was obvious that they had been more than just writer and muse for some time and he was sure that he could get the detective on an ethics violation if he wanted to. But Beckett was an outstanding officer and, self-serving as he was, the Deputy Commissioner was still a good cop. There was nothing to be gained from sidelining one of their best. Castle, however, was a different matter.

By all accounts, the writer had proven himself surprisingly useful, though he wondered just how objective reports by Roy Montgomery really were. Detective Beckett had been asked to provide feedback on the arrangement a few times. Her initial disdain for him had turned into grudging praise, until the last couple of years when her comments had become nauseatingly gushing. He would give no credence to that. She was clearly besotted. Gates had been crushingly scornful about his contribution throughout much of her first year at the12th, though he noticed she'd moderated her language more recently, occasionally lauding his efforts on a particular case. The word in the locker rooms was that Gates couldn't stand him but Mahon wasn't so sure. He needed to check for himself. He hadn't been down to the 12th for a long time. A visit was long overdue.

* * *

Castle was bored. He'd finished the chapter, done the laundry, crashed his helicopter into a plant pot, and now he needed something to do. Kate had left early again, warning him she'd be busy with potential witness interviews most of the morning. He glanced at his watch. It was after midday, hours since breakfast, and she'd be hungry. He could pick up one of those feta and olive salads she loved from the deli and drop it in. What harm was there in that?


	19. Chapter 19

**So, the last update was a bit of a filler to bridge the gap to this one that has a bit more substance and is, I think, a bit better. I'd really like to know what you think. **

Chapter 19

Mahon had one foot out of the door when his secretary called him back.

'It's the Commissioner, Sir. He asked if you could drop by his office straightaway,' Melinda said, settling the handset back on its base.

Mahon sighed. The number of people that he had to kowtow to were fewer than the fingers of one hand but the Commissioner was high on that short list so he turned left rather than right, towards the double doors at the end of the corridor. He rapped firmly and walked in without waiting for an invitation. He never stepped into this office without thinking that one day it would be his. He'd be sitting behind that vast expanse of mahogany, bathed in daylight from two directions, and the man in front of him would just be another photograph on the wall

'Commissioner, you wanted to see me.'

'Ah, Michael, let me introduce you to David Perry. David, this is Deputy Commissioner Mahon. You'll be spending the rest of the day with him.'

The backs on the leather chairs were high enough to conceal the tallest of men but the boy who stood to greet him, his hand outstretched, was no more than 5'6". Mahon took the hand automatically, dazed by the Commissioner's words.

'I'm very pleased to meet you, Sir,' the boy said, a youthful blush heightening his already rosy cheeks.

He was, Mahon surmised, no more than sixteen. His haircut was neat, his blazer expensive and his tie from a well-known prep school. The Deputy Commissioner nodded to him as he shook his hand and turned questioning eyes on his boss.

'David is interested in joining the police force and will be doing work experience with us. I thought it would be interesting for him to spend some time learning about the important work of the Deputy Commissioner.

'Right. Well I'm sure that my assistant…'

'David, would you mind checking if Mrs Dawkins has made my coffee yet? You remember where her office is?' the Commissioner said, cutting across Mahon's words.

'Yes, Sir, of course.'

As the door closed behind him the Commissioner, lowering his voice to hardly more than a whisper said, 'He's the Governor's grandson, Mike. We can't offload him on to secretaries. You'll have to keep him with you.'

'But what will I do with him?'

'I don't know. Keep him happy. Be thankful you've only got him for a day.'

David came back into the room, holding the door open for Mrs Dawkins and her coffee tray. She gave him a grateful smile, the sort that mothers reserve for well-mannered young men. There was just one cup on the tray so Mahon understood that he and his new sidekick were dismissed. There was nothing more to say anyway. Barely managing to hide his resentment, he nodded a cursory farewell to the Commissioner, leaving him to enjoy his freshly brewed coffee in peace.

'Right, Daniel…'

'It's David, Sir.'

'Ah yes, so it is. Come along then and let's show you what police work is all about.' Mahon forced himself to smile, lamenting that the Governor was another of the people he couldn't afford to upset.

'So, young man, you want to find out how we run the finest police force in the world, do you?' he said, leading the way back to his office, abandoning his plans for a surprise visit to the twelfth precinct.

'No, Sir, I… I mean yes, Sir. I do but… I really want to see what ordinary police officers do.'

'This is the powerhouse, you know. You're not interested in what we do here?' Mahon looked down at the boy, noticing that the flush had spread up to his forehead.

'I'm sure it's… really interesting, Sir, and it's very… important but I… I want to be a homicide detective.' He stumbled over his words, apparently finding his feet fascinating.

'Hmm. You do, ha?' Mahon stopped by his office door, considering his options. 'It just so happens I was on my way to visit the twelfth precinct homicide team. Let's go see how they do it.'

Hopeful eyes were quickly raised to meet his. It might be easier to keep the boy – and, more importantly, his grandfather – happy than he'd thought.

* * *

'Castle suggested we take a closer look at Hunter's half-brother, Benny,' Beckett said, tapping a photo on the murder board. 'Let's recheck his alibi.'

She intercepted Esposito and Ryan exchanging a knowing look.

'What?'

'What, what?'

'Espo!'

The warning in her voice was clear and with a glance at his partner and a twitch of his lips he said, 'It's just that you keep saying it.'

'Saying what?' She confronted them with her hands on hips. She was having a bad day. Both potential witnesses had claimed temporary deafness and blindness, They were treading treacle in the case, and now the boys were annoying her. They surely knew better than to do that.

'Castle. Castle said this, Castle thinks that, Castle…'

She opened her mouth to deny it and then closed it again, walking away while he was still talking, taking refuge in the break room. The boys followed, Esposito closing the door behind them and Ryan taking over coffee making duties as Kate disappeared into a cloud of steam.

'Hey, Kate, we were just joking. We miss him too,' Esposito said.

'You do it too, you know. Both of you,' she snapped, because they did, with their "What do you think Castle would say?" "Castle would love this." "I can't wait to tell Castle about this." She hated it because it was a constant reminder that he wasn't there – as if she needed reminding. And she cherished every time they said his name because it proved that they too valued the man she loved.

'I'd like to give Iron Gates a piece of my mind. What was she thinking?' Esposito peered towards the Captain's empty office, all taut muscles and dark intent.

'Javi, Kevin… It's okay. Don't worry about it. It's just… it's not the same without him, you know?' She sat on the table, accepting the coffee that Ryan offered her and taking a sip.

'Even the coffee doesn't taste right.'

'Hey!' objected Kevin.

'Sorry, Kev. Thanks. It's really good it's just…'

She sighed, hiding behind a screen of dark waves as she examined her coffee, unable to put into words why she found it so much harder to get through the day without Castle's stupid ideas, silly jokes, and deep blue eyes lightening her heart. Jeez, she was like a lovelorn schoolgirl. She needed to pull herself together and just get on with the job she'd done for years before he started shadowing her. It wasn't like she hadn't worked cases without him in the last few years, but Gates' strategy was risky and there was a strong possibility that Castle would never return the precinct.

'Let's get back to work,' she said, sliding off the desk, irritated that she'd exposed herself to them like this.

She lifted her head, catching them exchanging another look. This one was sympathetic and understanding and the lump that rose in her throat had nothing to do with Castle and everything to do with the love that she shared with these two men. Shit, if they didn't get back to the bullpen they'd all be crying.

'If you miss your girlfriend so much we'd better get together for a drink soon,' she deflected, looking back at them as she opened the door. 'Let's wrap this up so we can finish before midnight.'

Turning to the murder board, her view was obscured by a broad back encased in a black jacket, the edge of a deep red shirt collar visible below a sharp hair cut, and her day suddenly brightened.

'Castle! What are you doing here?'

He spun round and she felt a powerful jolt of something that made her head light and her ears rush and it was as if she hadn't seen him for weeks rather than a few hours. She was beaming and she could tell from his answering smile that he felt it to.

'Hey Castle, my man. Good to see you but why are you here, bro? If Gates catches you, you'll be mince.'

The boys reached him before she did because her legs had ceased to move. It was just as well, she thought; she wasn't sure that she'd have stopped herself falling into his arms, sinking her fingers into the short hair at the nape of his neck, and kissing him senseless. As onlooker to the brotherly bonding, she had time to control herself. Castle played his part, happy to see his friends, but his eyes kept finding hers making her wish that they were somewhere a lot more private than the bullpen.

'So, fill me in on the case,' Castle said, turning his attention back to the murder board. 'Did you get anywhere with those witnesses, Kate?'

'No. Clammed up like… clams.'

He gave her a look. 'You really need me back.'

'I'm not a writer. Fancy similes are your job.'

He offered her one of the two coffees he was holding and, discarding the mug Kevin had just given her, she grinned her thanks, their fingers touching for long enough for even Ryan to roll his eyes. She sat on the edge of her desk and he perched beside her in his usual place, not touching but close enough for her to smell his scent and she wanted him to stay.

'Castle, you need to go. Gates will be back soon,' she told him, though he eyes contradicted her words.

'Why should she object? Jenny drops by to see Ryan sometimes and Forrest's husband brings her muffins. This is no different. I've just brought lunch to my fiancée.' He nodded to the brown paper bag on her desk, his eyes wide with feigned innocence.

'What did you bring?' she asked, briefly distracted by the thought of food.

'Feta salad and a blueberry muffin.'

'Thanks,' she grinned before getting back on track. 'But they don't study the murder board and come up with crazy theories while they're here.'

'A few minutes won't hurt. So, Lanie said cause of death was this wound?' he said, standing to point to a photograph of a slash on a severed leg.

'A knife to the thigh, straight into his femoral artery. He'd have been unconscious in thirty seconds and bled out in minutes. No sign of the murder weapon but there's an eight inch butcher's knife missing that matches Lanie's mock-up,' Ryan said.

'Hmmm.'

'Hmm what?' Kate asked, forgetting that he really needed to leave.

She'd kept him up to date with just about everything to do with the case but nobody knew better than she the magic of staring at the murder board. They were trapped in a quagmire with this one and a spark of Castle perspicacity might give them the kick-start that they needed.

'It's just not a very reliable way to kill someone. Why stab him in a fleshy thigh where it's easy to miss the artery? You've got a much better chance of hitting something vital if you aim for all those important bits in the middle, or the throat if you're set on an artery. But the leg? That's the sort of wound that happens by accident, when you're not actually trying to kill someone. You want to hurt them or you're lashing out blindly or,' he turned to look at Kate, 'when you're defending yourself.'

'Self-defence? That ties in with the lack of defensive wounds on Hudson. He hadn't been restrained or drugged. You think he may have been the attacker?' said Kate, standing beside him.

'Or whoever was wielding the knife came on him completely unexpectedly but that takes us back to why stab him in the leg.'

'Maybe they weren't aiming for the leg. Maybe they were aiming a little higher. You remember I told you that along with his limbs his … package was removed.'

She rolled her eyes as all three of them flinched.

'Ouch! But why?'

'He had a reputation for liking very young women. Just the right side of legal. Maybe one of them didn't like him back,' Esposito said.

'Anyone in particular?'

'According to Dan Dixon he'd been pursuing Mary Duke. She's 17. Attends er… West Central High School. Dixon said he's known her since pre-school. Nice girl, completely taken in by Lecherous Larry here,' Ryan said, flipping through his notebook to confirm the details.

'But a girl couldn't have done this, Castle. Lopping off limbs and hooking up a body takes a lot of strength. And why chop him up anyway, particularly if she was defending herself?' Kate chewed her lip as she stared at the array of evidence.

'What if… ?' Three pairs of expectant eyes turned to him. 'What if we're looking at two separate incidents? Maybe he lured Mary to the shop and made sexual advances but Mary wasn't interested and…

'she picked up a knife to defend herself but he kept coming and she lunged…' Kate continued.

'sinking the knife into his leg, but instead of just stopping him…'

'he fell to the floor and bled out.'

'And then someone came along and chopped him up?' she asked incredulously. 'Makes no sense.'

'Unless,' he drew the word out theatrically, 'someone was trying to make it look like it was something it wasn't. A mob hit, revenge killing, butcherly rivalry. Maybe Mary called someone…'

'…and they cleaned up for her – if you can call _this_ clearing up. We need to get Mary in here. Check out her family. Vengeful father, protective brothers. I'll have another chat with Dan. Make sure he's told us everything he knows.'

'On it,' Esposito said, and the two of them hurried back to their desks, invigorated by new possibilities.

'And you,' she turned to Castle, resting a hand on his chest, 'need to get out of here before Gates comes back.'

'I don't even get a thank you?'

He was too close to her and she knew that she should step away.

'Thank you.'

'That's it?'

She stood on her toes and put her mouth to his ear whispering, 'I'll thank you properly later.'

She stepped away, the glance through her lashes leaving him in doubt about the thanks she meant and she watched him bite his bottom lip, his eyes darkening.

'Detective Beckett, I presume, and you must be Richard Castle.'

They turned to see that they had an audience of two, a balding man in his fifties and a teenage boy, sitting on a pair of chairs against the wall as if they were waiting to be called into the doctor's surgery.

'And you are?' Kate challenged, one hand on her hip, close to her gun, wondering how the hell these civilians had got up here unescorted.

'Don't shoot me, Detective,' the older man said, throwing up his hands, 'It would cause a terrible stir. I'm Michael Mahon, Deputy Commissioner, and if you'll promise not to pull your gun on me I'll show you my badge.' He stood and pulled back his jacket to expose an NYPD shield and Kate felt her legs quake.

'Sir, I'm so sorry, I had no idea…'

'Nothing to worry about at all, Detective. You behaved just as you ought. Had you not questioned my identity, I would have been very disappointed. That was an impressive display by the pair of you. A real insight into how to build a credible theory. I'm not surprised that Captain Gates lets you continue to work here Mr Castle. You must be a great asset.'

Kate turned her head away from the DC to give Castle a warning glance but saw at once there was no need. He was frozen to the spot, mouth hanging loose, obviously close to panic. She squeezed her lips shut, hoping he'd get the message, and turned back to her boss's, boss's boss, hoping she'd somehow manage to save the day.

'Actually, Sir, Castle just came in to er… bring me my lunch. Captain Gates doesn't know he's here.' She pushed her hair behind her ear with shaky fingers, aware that Castle had grabbed the lunch bag and was holding it in the air, an idiotic grin on his face that made him look like Harpo Marx.

'Is that so?' He smirked at her and her heart sank. Why had she let him stay? All the careful planning had come to naught and Castle would never work with her again.

'Sir…' she started, only to be interrupted by Captain Gates, approaching like a whirlwind from the elevator, out of line of sight of the DC.

'Mr Castle, what the hell are you doing in my precinct? I thought I'd made it very clear to you to stay away… Oh. Deputy Commissioner, I didn't see… Are you here to see me? I'm sorry I…' She didn't finish the sentence and silence descended for what seemed to Kate like minutes but probably no more than 30 seconds.

Ryan and Esposito had long since abandoned any pretence at work and were staring in puzzlement at the scene unfolding before them.

'Actually Captain I brought David along to see how a homicide team works. I was most impressed by how well Detective Beckett and Mr Castle worked together. Most impressed. It would, I think, be a great mistake to lose him from your team. Come on, David, I think we should be going. I've just remembered that I need to have a word with the Commissioner about a very urgent matter. Good day, Detectives, Mr Castle. Captain Gates perhaps you'd be good enough to come to see me tomorrow morning.'

He retraced the Captain's steps towards the elevator and Kate momentarily wondered who the embarrassed looking boy following him might be. They watched as the pair got into the elevator, remaining silent until the doors slid shut, breath bated while the numbers on the floor indicator went down to zero. Then, completely shocking Ryan and Esposito, Gates let out a whoop of joy and Kate shouted with laughter.

'Yes!' Castle said, punching the air, before grabbing first Kate and then Gates into a hug. Far from objecting, the captain returned his embrace before withdrawing a step, straightening her hair and suit.

'Well, that was perfect. We couldn't have planned it. Just perfect,' Gates said, with a satisfied sigh.

'Sir, you were magnificent. Did you know he was here?' Kate asked, a wide grin lighting up her face.

'No, no idea. I was genuinely mad to see you here, Mr Castle.'

'I'm glad to have been of service, Sir.'

'What is going on?' demanded Esposito, arms open and hands turned upwards.

'Yeah, what is this?' asked Ryan, frown lines etched between his eyes.

'Ah guys there's something we didn't tell you.' Kate's smile faded but her happiness was still evident in her eyes.

'That's obvious.' Esposito closed his arms, crossing them across his chest.

'Captain Gates came up with a plan to keep Castle here which involved persuading the DC she wanted him out.'

'An audacious and brilliant plan, Shakespearean in its scope...' Castle added.

'Castle!' Kate shut him up with a word, knowing he'd was nearly in full flow.

'Sorry.'

'Huh?' Ryan was looking more confused than ever.

'It's complicated,' Gates and Kate said together, smiling at each other.

'Oh, I wouldn't say that. It's all just become very clear.' The smooth tones of Michael Mahon rang out behind them. 'David thought he'd like to see how the case progressed so I brought him back.'

**It couldn't be that easy, could it? Thanks for the continuing reviews. Please keep them coming. I really will have to bring this story to a conclusion soon but there are a few loose ends I want to tie up.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The stunned silence outlasted Mahon's brief return to the bullpen. He'd said nothing else, the flash of anger in his eyes quickly replaced by smug determination, and he'd left as suddenly as he'd arrived, relaxing against the rear wall of the elevator car as the doors slid shut. They were gripped by stillness, as if collectively holding their breath.

'I'm guessing that wasn't part of the plan,' Esposito said, recovering first, breaking the spell that had held them motionless, freeing Kate to let out a shaky breath. She covered her mouth with her hand as if to try to catch it and then slid her fingers up her face to grasp the front of her hair, pulling her head down.

'No. No, Javi it wasn't. The Deputy Commissioner was not supposed to catch us celebrating our triumph at his expense.'

'We were so close. Victory snatched from us so… so… cruelly. There's no way back from that.' Castle said, putting into words what Kate was thinking. He dropped into his chair, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

'I'm afraid you're right, Mr Castle. I'm sorry. I really didn't want to lose you.' Captain Gates said.

Kate turned to look at the other woman. She was outwardly calm, only her hands were moving, splayed fingers balling into fists and then releasing again over and over, and Kate realised that the captain had more to lose than any of them. A detective and a writer were small fry to Mahon but Gates was different. They'd crossed swords before and he'd come out the worse for it. Kate was sure he wouldn't give Gates the chance to do so again. He had the power to alter the direction of her career and, from what she'd heard about him, he wouldn't hesitate to use it.

'Captain, thank you. I hope that…'

'Let's just get back to work.' Gates didn't wait for her to finish, a couple of steps taking her into the privacy of her office. She closed the door behind her with a gentle click and, putting on her glasses, sat at her desk, apparently engrossed in the letter she'd picked up from the pile awaiting her attention.

Kate took her lead from her boss, resting a hand briefly on Castle's shoulder on the way to her chair.

'If I hadn't come in…' Castle didn't finish his sentence, shaking his head, lips compressed into a thin line.

'If you hadn't come in, we wouldn't have the first decent lead we've had on this case.'

'So, um, this plan you had?' Ryan, his partner at his shoulder, took a couple of nervous strides to stand by Kate's desk, worry wrinkling his brow.

'Gates plan,' Castle sighed. 'She put herself on the line by trying to trick Mahon into advising the Commissioner to let me stay. What do you think he'll do to her, Kate?'

She glanced up at him, warmed by the thought that although he must be feeling as devastated as she was by the rapid changes that had been thrown at them in just a few minutes, he could still find space to worry about Gates.

'I don't know, but I can't imagine it'll be anything good.'

She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, roughly massaging her temples with her fingers until a smothered cough caught her attention. In the spectacular crash that had been the last few minutes, they had all completely overlooked the boy who was attempting to make himself invisible against the wall.

'Hey. It's… I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name.'

He blushed, angry red splotches staining his cheeks and reaching up under his floppy fair hair into his hairline.

'David Perry,' he whispered, eyes fixed on the carpet.

'And you were with the Deputy Commissioner because…?' Kate waited for him to fill in the missing words.

'Work experience. I… I wanted to see how real homicide detectives work so he brought me here.'

'Right.' A schoolboy on work experience wasn't what she needed right now and she looked for help towards Esposito and Ryan who both suddenly found they needed to get back to their desks. He should be the captain's problem but there was no way she was going to inflict him on Gates and she obviously couldn't phone the DC and ask him to take him away.

'I recognise that tie. Harewood Academy. They threw me out when I was thirteen. Principal didn't like my artwork,' Castle piped up.

David dared to lift his eyes to the writer's face.

'I added some moustaches and beards to the portraits of past principals. Some necessary spectacles too.'

David managed a shy grin.

'Looks like you're doing better than I did. You want to work with the NYPD, David?' The boy nodded. 'I know the feeling. Well you need to learn something very important. Essential if you're going to spend time with Detective Beckett. Come with me. I'm Rick, by the way.'

Kate watched with gratitude as Castle led the boy away to the break room and then turned her attention back to the boys.

'Have you found anything useful about Mary's family?'

'Mum's a widow. Dad died four years ago. Two younger sisters, no brothers. I'm still looking for wider family connections but no sign yet of anyone who'd be strong enough to dissect that body,' Esposito replied, peering at her over his computer screen.

'Okay. Keep looking. Let's get Mary in here. And get hold of the Dan Dixon. If he knows Mary, he may not be telling us everything, '

She turned her attention to checking through the paperwork to see just exactly what they knew about the young trainee butcher. She reached for her coffee as she turned a page, looking up when she didn't find her mug in its usual place. The blinds were down on the break room and she wondered what Castle was up to. It was sweet that he was looking after the kid but she really needed her coffee. On cue, they reappeared, each holding two mugs.

'David is the perfect NYPD civilian assistant, Beckett. He's already conquered the coffee machine, something some detectives still haven't managed.' Castle indicated Kate with a twitch of his brows and she narrowed her eyes at him. 'Just put those two cups down on Detective Beckett's desk. The soda machine is just down the hall.'

David followed his instructions and went in search of a soda. As he disappeared from view Castle deposited the boys' coffees on their desks, slopping some over the edge of Esposito's mug as he rushed to get back to Kate's desk,

'Hey!'

'Sorry,' he said over his shoulder, already sitting and edging his chair closer to Kate's.

'He thinks it's his fault,' he said, leaning in so that his face was just inches from hers.

'Huh?' She squinted at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

'David. He thinks it's his fault.'

'He thinks what's his fault?' asked Kate.

'Mahon finding out about our plan. He doesn't really understand what's going on but he said if he hadn't asked the DC if he could come back to see what was happening with the case, they'd have gone back to 1PP and everything would have been fine.'

'Of course it's not his fault, Castle. It was a risky strategy. There was always the chance it would go wrong.'

'I know that and you know that but he doesn't.'

'Well, there's not much that I can do about that,' she said, her attention returning to the file.

'We have to be extra nice to him.'

She grimaced at him. 'What do you think we should do? Make him a cake?'

'Shh! He's coming back.' He smiled at the boy and said, 'Pull a chair up and Detective Beckett will bring you up to speed on the case.'

Kate glared at him. They actually had something worth following up and he wanted her to take time to brief a schoolboy. God, he could be so irritating sometimes.

'Sure. Come and sit down. It's a gruesome one,' she warned, with a last stare at Castle before smiling at David.

She was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was genuinely interested and asked intelligent questions. His shyness evaporated as he became captivated by the story, even making some astute observations. She noticed that Castle was grinning proudly, as if the boy was his prodigy.

'You really know a lot about police procedure, David,' she said, bringing the blush back to his cheeks.

'I've read a lot.'

'What sort of books?' Kate asked, wondering how he could have picked up so much information.

'Autobiographies of some retired police officers and John Timoney's book. Also…' he hesitated, 'um, I've read your Nikki Heat novels, Mr Castle.'

'You have?' Castle was delighted. 'And you know that Nikki Heat is based on Detective Beckett?'

'And Jameson Rook on you. So I suppose…' He looked down again and Kate guessed that his teenage boy brain was remembering some of the racier scenes.

'Mr Castle has a very vivid imagination.'

On the periphery of her vision she could see Castle's eyes widen and his mouth form an O of disbelief, and she resolutely avoided making eye contact. She'd been using that line since Naked Heat was published but, she realised, now that their relationship was public, few would believe that the sex scenes in the first four books were the product of the writer's imagination. _Deadly Heat_ would be in bookstores soon and her cheeks warmed as she wondered just how much of their love life was going to be exposed to public view. Castle had better get her a copy soon or he'd be in serious trouble.

Keen to guide David's mind down a different track she asked, 'Why do you want to be a police officer?'

'My dad was a detective,' he said.

'Was?' she probed. Harewood Academy fees were well beyond the reach of NYPD officers. His father must have moved on to a more lucrative profession.

'He died. Shot in the line of duty.' He let his hair flop forward over his eyes, hiding from the world, in a gesture that was all too familiar to her.

'Oh. I'm sorry.'

'It was a long time ago. I was only three. I don't really remember him.'

'It's hard losing a parent,' Castle said, his eyes meeting Kate's.

'And it's hard for a boy to grow up without a father,' she added, holding her fiancé's gaze.

'My mother and I live with granddad. He's great.' He pushed his hair back and looked up.

'Not too many boys at Harewood want to join NYPD,' Castle said.

'I don't know of any others.' David shook his head.

'What do your family think?' Castle asked.

'Mum is worried but I think she's quite pleased too. That I want to do what my father did, you know? I think Granddad hopes I'll grow out of the idea, but I won't.'

He stuck out his chin and Kate's lips twitched. The lad was determined. He might change his mind in the next few years but it wasn't going to be changed for him.

'Beckett, Mary's on her way in. We can't reach Dixon,' Ryan called.

'Thanks, Ryan. Hmm.'

'What?' Castle asked.

'The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Dan Dixon isn't deeper in this than we think.' She got up to study the murder board again.

'You know, he has the skill to joint a carcass.' Castle stood by her shoulder, following her line of sight to the photograph of the young man.

'But why?' She shook her head.

'Love.'

'Huh?'

'He said he's known Mary since pre-school. What if he doesn't just know her, he loves her?'

'So he killed Larry because he was bothering her and then cut him up? He's never been in trouble, no gang connections. Doesn't seem likely.'

'Or, like we said before, Mary did the killing…'

'… and he did the filleting. Could be. We need to track him down.'

'You guys are awesome. Can I come?' David's eyes were shining with admiration and excitement.

'Sorry, David. This man may be a murderer. It's too dangerous.'

His face fell and Kate felt like she'd kicked a puppy.

'Hey, happens to me all the time. Wait here. Stay in the car. Do as you're told or I'll shoot you. She means it too,' Castle said.

'I might shoot Castle but I promise not to shoot you. You don't annoy me but you still can't come.'

'S'okay, Detective Beckett,' he murmured, his disappointment still evident. Castle glanced at Kate and she could tell he had something in mind.

'Tell you what, how about Beckett takes Esposito on this one and you and I go to see some dead bodies?'

'Wow. Really?' His eyes were wide, all other thoughts pushed out of his head.

'Castle, I'm not sure that's such a great idea,' Kate cautioned. Taking teenagers to look at corpses wasn't part of the usual work experience program.

'Don't worry. He'll love it, won't you?'

'Yes please.' He nodded eagerly and she sighed as they headed off together towards the elevator.

'Phone Lanie to check it's okay, Castle,' she called after him and he acknowledged he'd heard her with a quick wave and a grin over his shoulder.

She watched them leave with a twinge of regret. She couldn't help but grin at how he inspired his young devotee with his own enthusiasm. She understood why Castle empathised with this boy – she did too – but she wished he hadn't been foisted on them during what was undoubtedly their last case together.

* * *

Kate dropped into her chair, emotionally exhausted after interviewing Mary and Dan. She leant back in her chair and closed her eyes. It had been a tough day and she hadn't even allowed herself to start processing the fact that she was going to lose her partner very soon.

'You look like you need this.'

She smiled even before she opened her eyes knowing exactly what she was going to see. The mug of coffee Castle was holding out to her was steaming and her fingers rested on his as she took it from him.

'Thanks. You know just what a girl needs.'

'I know what my girl wants needs,' he said, sitting down, concerned eyes not leaving his face. 'Tough one, huh?'

'Yeah. You were right, of course. All for love.'

She was grateful that he managed to refrain from gloating for once. He'd make up for it later but now he waited for her to continue.

'Mary told us everything. She went to the butcher's shop to tell Larry she wanted him to leave her alone. Not the cleverest thing to do on her own but she said that she was used to looking after herself. He grabbed her and dragged her into the cold room, pushed her against a wall and told her he was going to show her what she was missing. He turned to shut the door and she grabbed the knife to defend herself and when he came at her, it lodged in his leg. She ran, literally falling over Dan who was on his way in to pick up his phone. She told him what had happened and they went back into the cold room together but Larry had already bled out. They panicked and Dan came up with his crazy idea to protect her. Larry had some shady contacts and he thought if he chopped up the body we'd think they'd done it. We'd never suspect Mary.'

'Messy. What will happen to them?' He took her hand, drawing soothing circles on the back with his thumb.

'I've talked to the DA. He's buying self-defence for Mary. Dan will be charged with mutilating the body. He may get away without serving time. I hate to admit it, but I'm not sure we'd have solved this one with you. Thank you,' she said, twisting her hand in his to link their fingers together.

'Always.'

They held each other's gaze as the reality hit them. There would be no always for them in the precinct. Mahon would probably have him out within a couple of days. Kate swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and watched Castle's eyes cloud over. It was the end of a wonderful era for both of them.

'Detective Beckett,' Gates said, interrupting their moment of intimacy, 'the grandfather of the work experience boy is on his way up to get him.'

'Where is David?' Kate asked, releasing Castle's hand and looking around.

'Esposito and Ryan took him to the evidence room. They told him about the butler case and he wanted to see the glass eye.'

The three boys appeared at the top of the stairs as they spoke, David entranced by whatever grizzly tale Esposito was recounting.

'Hey, what's this?' Castle said bringing Kate's attention to the two black suited men stepping out of the lift. 'Secret Service if ever I saw them. Is that the Governor?' he said, his voice rising to soprano heights at the sight of the tall white haired man behind them.

She streched her head to see what was going on. The Governor had never visited the precinct in all her time with NYPD and she couldn't imagine why he would do so now. Gates was still standing at her door, her eyes widening in horror at this unexpected invasion of her precinct and she hurried forward to greet the exalted visitor.

'Are you Captain Gates?' he demanded.

'Yes Sir. Welcome to…'

'So you're the woman who let your detectives tell my grandson about violent murders and show him dead bodies?'

**Your continued interest and thoughtful reviews are keeping me motivated. Thanks so much and I'm sorry if I haven't replied to you personally. I'm struggling to find time to write at the moment and replying to my generous readers is a casualty of a very busy work schedule. I'll update as soon as I can. xx**


	21. Chapter 21

**You guys have really helped me to find some confidence in my writing. Thanks so much for continuing to read and review. I hope you like this update. Let me know either way. x**

Chapter 21

'_Are you Captain Gates?' he demanded._

'_Yes Sir. Welcome to…'_

'_You let your detectives tell my grandson about violent murders and show him dead bodies?' _

'I… er…' Gates looked to Kate for enlightenment and the detective's lower lip fell, making a perfect O of her mouth, as realisation hit her that David was the Governor's grandson.

She swung her head to look at the boy expecting, though she didn't know why, to see him as horrified as she felt. Instead he was smiling widely, obviously delighted to see his grandfather. The man's harsh countenance clearly did not translate into strict patriarch.

'Granddad, you won't believe what I've just seen,' he said, breaking into a trot across the bullpen.

'After what you told me you've been up to today, I'm not sure anything would surprise me.' The older man's face remained stern but that didn't act as a deterrent to the boy.

'A glass eye. It was a clue in this fantastic case that Rick helped solve. Oh, you have to meet Rick – I mean Mr Castle – and Detective Beckett. They are totally awesome. And Detectives Ryan and Esposito. They're so cool.'

Kate would have been amused at David's transformation from shy schoolboy into this voluble whirlwind if it weren't for the dread that was weighing her down.

'I would certainly like to meet them. You wait here with Detectives… er...' he waved his hand in the direction of Ryan and Esposito, 'I need a word with the captain and your other new friends. Captain, your office?'

'Yes, Sir. Of course.'

She flashed a look at Kate that unmistakably said "you too" and Kate reluctantly got to her feet, poking Castle in the arm to rouse him from the wide-eyed trance in which he seemed to be stuck. With a sharp intake of breath he stood, remaining motionless for a moment before catching up with her in a couple of rapid steps. Careful to maintain a proper distance, he followed her into Gates' office, closing the door behind him.

The Governor declined Gates offer to sit, choosing instead to lean against the door; his close protection team taking up their positions on the other side. He was an inch or two taller than Castle and his snow-white hair and Roman nose gave him an air of authority that was impossible to ignore. Gates stood behind her desk with Kate sandwiched in no-man's land on the other side, closer to the Governor than was comfortable but unable to move further away without clambering around a chair. She looked longingly past the Governor into the sanctuary of the bullpen where David chatted happily to Ryan and Esposito, oblivious to the worry gripping the team. She glanced at Castle. He'd chosen a better spot, leaning against the wall with his hands behind him, but he looked far from comfortable and she knew what he was feeling. Five minutes ago, she would have declared that the day couldn't get any worse. Then it did.

'My grandson interrupted before I could introduce myself. I'm…'

'We know who you are, Sir,' Gates said. 'It's a pleasure to meet...'

'Yes, yes, let's forget the formalities. I'm trying to understand exactly what happened today. David phoned me about an hour ago, very excited about having seen a dead body. I'm at a loss… You three have some explaining to do.'

His scrutiny was intense and Kate instantly felt on the back foot, struggling to think of an adequate defence.

'I take full responsibility for the actions of my team…' Gates started only to be interrupted again.

'We can get to responsibilities later. Right now I want to know how my grandson even got here. This morning I dropped him off in the Commissioner's office and next I hear he's in the Twelfth Precinct.'

'Anyone?' he added, when none of them replied.

Kate had expected Gates to respond but then she remembered that the captain hadn't even been there when the DC had arrived and she didn't know the full story. She wasn't sure she did herself but she owed it to Gates to take some of the pressure.

'Sir, um..., the Deputy Commissioner brought him. We, er..., that is Mr Castle and I, were talking through a case and we didn't notice David. Your grandson was interested so the DC left him here with us.'

'Brought him back actually,' Castle added.

'Er, yes, that's right. They left but came back because David wanted to see how the case developed.'

Kate bit her lip, feeling like she'd got caught smoking in the bathrooms at school. Maybe she didn't need to worry about missing Castle when he got chucked out of the precinct; the way this discussion was going, she wasn't counting on still having a job herself tomorrow.

'And you then proceeded to feed him full details of what I understand to be a particularly gruesome crime.' He crossed his arms as he surveyed them.

Kate opened her mouth to reply but Castle beat her to it, licking his lips as if all the moisture had been leeched out of them.

'I..., that was my fault, Governor. He was so enthusiastic I guess I got a bit carried away and forgot his age,' Castle volunteered.

'You're the writer. You took him to the morgue too, didn't you?'

'I… I did. I'm sorry… I… er…'

Kate couldn't bear to see Castle flounder under the Governor's steely stare. She knew that he was trying to deflect blame from herself and Gates onto himself and she wasn't going to let that happen.

'It wasn't just Castle, Sir. I explained the full details of the case to David. The full gory details, I'm afraid.'

'So I understand, Detective Beckett. Do you know what I expected when I handed over my grandson to the care of NYPD? I thought he would spend his time in the Commissioner's office, probably with an assistant or aide, learning how the police force is administered, safe from details of the horrors that fester in the nasty underbelly of this city. I did not expect him to be telling me about dissected bodies in butchers shops or the colour and smell of a dead body that's been kept chilled in a morgue.'

'He didn't see the cut up body, only a whole one with no bullet holes or stab wounds but I… Yeah, I… but… um… a body's a body so…and it was dead…' Castle's contribution petered out under the power of the Governor's glare.

'Sir, we didn't know he was your grandson,' Gates said.

'Would that have made a difference?' he growled.

'Honestly? No, Sir, but we normally have more time to plan for interns. We had none today and we were at a crucial point in a murder investigation. There was no time to find David a project to work on that would have kept him away from the day to day reality of a busy homicide team,' Gates said, going on the offensive.

The Governor said nothing for thirty seconds, considering all three of them from his superior height.

'I'll be in touch.' He pulled open the door calling, 'David, we're going.'

'Okay Granddad,' David said, sliding off Esposito's desk and offering his hand to first Ryan and then Esposito. 'Thanks so much for everything. The evidence room was amazing. You've been great.'

'You're welcome,' Ryan said.

'Come back and see us sometime, bro.' Esposito slapped him on the shoulder and they both watched him walk across the bullpen, away from where his grandfather was waiting.

'David. Now!'

'In a minute, Granddad.' He knocked on the captain's open door before entering.

'Thank you, Captain. It was kind of you to have me here. Mr Castle…'

'Rick.'

'Rick. I had the best time ever.' He reached out his hand and Castle took it in both of his.

'Anytime. Keep in touch. If that's okay.' Castle glanced over the boy's head to the Governor who was standing impatiently by the elevator.

David turned to Kate, his cheeks turning crimson as he looked up her shyly.

'Thank you, Detective Beckett. I hope that I might become half as good a detective as you. Maybe I'll even be able to work for you one day.'

Kate recognised the puppy love in his glowing eyes and smiled down at him kindly. 'Maybe. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful detective, David.'

He grinned and lifted his hand in a half wave before joining his grandfather. The older man's face visibly softened and he placed a protective arm across the boy's shoulders as they stepped into the elevator car. As the doors slid shut, Gates turned furious eyes on Kate and Castle.

'What were you thinking? How could you expose that boy to the graphic details of such a horrific crime scene? And the morgue, Mr Castle? Seriously? Even for you that was particularly brainless. This has been, without doubt, the worse day of my career. Go. Both of you. Go home.' She covered her eyes with her hand and dropped into her chair.

'Sir, I'm…'

'No, Beckett! Not a word. Just go.'

'I've got some paperwork to fin…'

'Beckett,' she snatched her hand from her eyes and slapping the palm on the desk, 'go! Out of my sight. Out of my precinct. Now.'

Kate met Castle's abashed eyes and they edged to the door, both anxious to put space between themselves and their captain, pausing only so Kate could pick up her purse. They didn't speak until they reached the road.

'I'm so sorry, Kate. It's all my fault,' Castle said.

'Can we just not talk now?'

'Kate…'

'Please, Castle.'

In the warmth of early summer, the city was bathed in golden afternoon light but Kate didn't notice that as she set off at a brisk pace, weaving between the pedestrians, not needing to look back to know that Castle was following. She needed space but she knew that if she told him that he'd assume she agreed that it was his fault. But if she spoke now, she'd blame him and he'd accept responsibility, looking mortified with down-turned eyes and up thrust bottom lip, and she'd feel guilty when right now she just wanted to feel angry.

She darted across the road at the first opportunity and took a left turn onto a quieter street where she could hear Castle's rapid steps behind her. Her mind was in over-drive as she tried to make sense of the events of the day. Letting her feet lead her wherever they chose, she wound sightlessly through the city streets until gradually her pace slowed to match her thought pattern. Taking stock of her surroundings, she cast around for somewhere to pause, spotting the dark outlines of trees ahead and the prospect of a peaceful park bench. By the time she was approaching a seat, she was walking at normal pace but Castle didn't catch up, choosing instead to walk at her shoulder, half a pace behind, and she knew that in he understood and respected her need for space.

She sat on a bench, resting her back on the wooden slats and stretching out her legs. There was still an hour of daylight left but lights were beginning to glow in windows as people got home from work. She glanced across to the swing set, empty of children who would be home having supper or a bath. It wasn't _their_ park but she never saw a swing set without it having some significance.

'It wasn't,' she said.

'Huh?' Castle was sitting on the edge of the bench, his tense body turned towards her so he could watch her face.

'Your fault. It wasn't.'

'Kate, if I hadn't gone all over compensatory and insisted we look after David, you'd never have told him about the case.'

Over compensatory? She couldn't stop her lips twitching at that. The writer in him could always find the words. Okay, not always.

'Maybe, but I chose to share details that I didn't need to. Anyway, he'd already heard us talking and he'd seen the board. He's a bright young man. I didn't tell him much he couldn't have worked out for himself.'

Castle leant back on the bench, still respecting her space and she felt an over-whelming need to close the gap between them. She glanced at him, reaching for his hand and he grasped hers, holding it tight against his thigh. His eyes were fixed on a distant point, deep lines etched between his brows.

'That doesn't change the fact that I come out of this pretty much unscathed. I have my writing but you and Gates? Your jobs are on the line.'

She sighed. 'Gates doesn't deserve this. She stuck her neck out for us and we thanked her by adding the Governor to her list of enemies.'

'She hates me again,' he said and she grinned, grateful that he could still lighten the mood even though she knew he was burdened with shame.

'I wish we could do something for her. She hardly even talked to David.'

'Maybe we could explain that to the Governor,' he said.

'Right. Like he's going to listen to us.'

'Hmm.' His grip on her hand tightened and she sensed his surge of energy.

'What?'

'The Mayor still trumps the Governor in NYPD.'

His eyes were glowing with enthusiasm and she turned hopeful eyes to him. Despite her brain telling her he'd probably come up with some completely unworkable hare-brained scheme, she was still eager to hear his plan. She was a lost cause but in reality she had been for years.

'Robert is back in the city. It might be too late to save me but the Commissioner can't ignore the Mayor.'

He stood up and pulled out his cell phone and she leant her elbows on her knees, sitting forward to listen to his side of the conversation. He was on the phone for a few minutes, finishing with an agreement for he and Kate to meet the Mayor and his wife for dinner the following week to celebrate their engagement.

'You totally blamed Mahon,' Kate said with admiration, standing up to join him as he pocketed his phone.

'I know. Brilliant, right?'

His self-satisfied smile was really annoying so she wiped it from his mouth by interlinking her fingers behind his neck and pulling his face down to meet hers so she could kiss him soundly.


	22. Chapter 22

**Penultimate chapter here, guys. I'll post the final one in the next couple of days. Thanks so much for all your support. **

Chapter 22

The last of the rich dark liquid oozed through the filter, the drips falling achingly slowly as Kate watched, the enticing aroma of the freshly brewed coffee only increasing her need for that first cup of the day. She licked her lips in anticipation, her empty mug cradled in both hands.

'It's infidelity.'

She started at Castle's voice beside her ear, not taking in his words. He'd been sound asleep when she'd left their bed and she'd expected him to stay that way for at least an hour. He was rarely an early riser, having an ability she coveted. She almost always woke as soon as he got up, but she could usually slip out of the bedroom without rousing him.

'Jeez, Castle. Sneaking up like that could get you shot.'

'You love another,' he continued, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair and kissing her on the cheek.

'Wha…?'

'I'm being cuckolded by a Colombian.' He pointed at the coffee machine.

'I hate to break it to you, but I've been in relationship with him much longer than with you. He's the perfect lover – warm, soothing and never, ever disappointing,' she said, turning her head up so that his next kiss was on her lips. He obliged and she smiled under the gentle brush of his mouth.

'You forget, Beckett, I know exactly how disappointing he was before I bought the coffee machine for the precinct.'

'That's why I always used to meet him away from work. Care to make it a threesome?' she asked, pushing another mug towards him.

'Not the sort of threesome I usually go for, but I don't mind if I do.'

Her smile morphed into a mock scowl. Well, mostly mock. Threesomes, huh? He was joking, she knew that, but she couldn't completely dismiss the possibility that threesomes had been part of his chequered history and sometimes she let thoughts of his past bother her. He grinned, and she suspected that he knew exactly what she was thinking. She took a deep breath and released it along with futile jealousy of long forgotten women. She wasn't only the woman of the moment, she was the woman of his future. He'd left her in no doubt about that.

He poured them both a coffee, sitting beside her at the counter and she nudged his shoulder as they drank in companionable silence, both in need of the jolt of caffeine. They'd sat up late watching Clint Eastwood kick ass as Dirty Harry because Castle said that some old school police violence would take their minds off things. It worked. She'd woken, her head on his lap, to the tremor of his snores, and she'd dragged him back to consciousness and onto his feet so they could both get to bed.

'What are you going to do today?' she asked, refilling her cup.

'I'm coming with you.' He pushed his mug towards her for a top-up.

'I don't think that's such a good idea, Rick. After what happened yesterday…'

'I haven't been chucked out yet so we're still partners and partners don't stand back and let each other walk into the dragon's den alone.'

His jaw was set and she knew he wouldn't be shifted on this and she was thankful. She hadn't relished the thought of the confrontations the day was sure to bring without him by her side.

'Maybe the Mayor will persuade the Commissioner to let you stay,' she said, turning hopeful eyes to him.

'Who are you and what have you done with the real Kate Beckett?' he demanded. 'I'm the optimist in this relationship. Don't try and steal my job. The bridges are burnt and the tunnels blown up, Kate. No way back. I didn't even ask him. The best we can do now is to make sure we save you and Gates.'

She reached for his hand, studying their intertwined fingers for a few moments before speaking.

'What if I don't want saving?' she asked, biting her lip.

'What do you mean?'

'Castle, we've been doing this together for five years now. I don't want to go back to how it was before. If you go, I go,' she said, not taking her eyes off their hands.

'Whatever you want.'

'It's what I want, but what do I do if I'm not a cop?' She lifted her eyes to his hoping that she'd find the reassurance she needed and, as usual, he didn't disappoint her.

'Anything. Anything you want to. You're extraordinary, Kate. You can be anything you want to be.'

She beamed at him and kissed him tenderly, awed by his confidence in her. She pulled back as he tried to deepen the kiss, refusing to open her lips to allow him access and laughed at his frustrated moan.

'I've still got a job and I need to get ready.' She launched herself off the stool, breaking contact with him, her bare feet slapping on the wooden floor.

'You coming, Castle?' she asked over her shoulder.

* * *

'We could start our own private detective agency. The by-line could be "Call Caskett in Case of Catastrophe". That needs work but you get the idea,' he said, as they rode the elevator.

He'd spent the entire cab journey coming up with completely ridiculous suggestions for Kate's future career. This one was at least slightly more realistic than most. He'd dismissed the idea of indulging her love of footwear by buying her a shoe shop. Retail wasn't for Beckett. But he'd got excited about both of them joining an expedition to colonise Mars, earning himself a kick in the shins as he starting to explain in more detail than the taxi driver needed to hear how they could go about increasing the population.

'Seriously, Castle? Taking photos of men having sex with their mistresses through motel windows? Can you see me doing that?'

'Oow, showing your sexist credentials, Beckett. What about the wives and their lovers? Anyway, I could be the gumshoe and you could just look pretty in the office.'

She turned her scariest glower on him but it had no effect, his eyes twinkling mischievously making him look infuriatingly cute, and it was as well the doors opened because she was either going to kiss him or kill him. She suppressed the grin that was trying to reveal itself and stepped into the quiet hum of activity that was the bullpen, forgetting for just a moment about the ditch they'd dug for themselves. The concerned looks on the faces of Ryan and Esposito broke the spell instantly and she mentally thanked Castle for succeeding in distracting her so thouroughly. Ryan stood, his hand raised and mouth open, preparing to speak, but before he could she heard Gates' voice.

'Detective Beckett. Mr Castle. My office please.'

She met Castle's eyes for a moment and then dropped her purse on her desk and they trod the familiar route to the captain's office, Castle's hand in the small of her back giving her a smidgen of courage though she was sure that it wasn't going to be enough.

'Commissioner, this is Detective Beckett and Mr Castle.'

The well-known figure of Alan Peacock, Commissioner of NYPD, stood up and stretched out his hand to first Kate and then Castle.

'No introductions necessary, Captain. Detective Beckett, your reputation precedes you. I have heard great things about you. You're an outstanding officer. Mr Castle, we met at the Mayor's benefit for the children's hospice last year, I believe.'

'We did, Sir, and it's a great pleasure to meet you again.' Castle shook his hand warmly, glimpsing towards Kate and she blushed. It was impossible to miss his glow of pride in her that the Commissioner's words had ignited.

'Of course, I'm very familiar with the arrangement that has allowed you such unprecedented access to the NYPD. The Mayor must be a very good friend. Having such a high profile author working with us has, _at times,_ been of some benefit. Your media profile is high. I notice that yours has increased recently too, Detective,' he said, addressing the last few words to Kate and she knew that he didn't see _tha_t as a benefit to NYPD.

He waved them both to seats, resuming his own. Gates had already taken hers, looking weary. That wasn't surprising, thought Kate. The DC, the Governor and the Commissioner in her precinct all within twenty-four hours was more than she should have to bear.

Dispensing with any further preliminaries the Commissioner came to the point of his visit. His tone remained amiable, and his posture – leaning back in his chair, elbows resting on the arms and hands linked in front of him – was relaxed. But the dark eyes that surveyed them were unfathomable and Kate would have been less nervous if he had screamed at them.

'I'd like to tell you just how much of my time has been taken up with this team since yesterday afternoon but I've lost track. I can tell you, it's far more than I wanted.'

He paused as if gathering his thoughts, giving time for the churning in Kate's stomach to grow to such an extend that she wished she hadn't eaten the light breakfast that Castle had insisted she needed. A peek at him through her hair confirmed that he wasn't feeling any better.

'The Governor's first call came in the middle of my meeting with two senior judges. I've known the Governor for many years. He's a reasonable man and not one I choose to keep waiting if he has something urgent to discuss. He'd just left this precinct with his grandson and he told me an incredible tale of how the 16 year old had been traumatised by the brief time he'd spent with you because, among other things, he'd heard graphic details of a very unpleasant murder and seen dead bodies in the morgue.'

'One. Just one body… but, um… I…' Castle piped up briefly, Peacock's steady gaze silencing him.

'He was, naturally, very upset that the boy had been subjected to this experience and I fully sympathise with him. He phoned me again when I was about to eat the delicious Aberdeen Angus fillet steak I'd been looking forward to all day. By the time I got back to it, it was cold. Fortunately, my breakfast was already cold when the Mayor called this morning, which was just as well as I then needed to make some calls of my own.'

He paused again and Castle opened his mouth to speak but Kate managed to catch his eye just in time to warn him off with a fierce stare. He knew that look and closed his lips instantly.

'The second time the Governor spoke to me was to tell me that his grandson had been haranguing him to set the record straight. It seems he was far from traumatised by the experience. He had thoroughly enjoyed it and he now wants to be a homicide detective more than ever. Don't imagine this is good news, people,' he said, leaning forward, 'the Governor's son-in-law was an officer with NYPD. Killed in the line of duty. He does not want to encourage his grandson to join us however much he appreciates what we do. I wasn't surprised to hear about the boy's enthusiasm. I have a teenage son of my own - the more gruesome and gory the better - but that does not make it right. It was frankly irresponsible to let a schoolboy see and hear the things he did.'

'Sir, it was all my fault. I put Detective Beckett in an impossible situation and the Captain didn't know what I was doing…'

'Mr Castle,' was all the Commissioner said, and he stopped mid-flow.

Kate opened her eyes wide at him, willing him to just shut up and was relieved to see him sit back, though the determined line of his jaw didn't bode well.

'Thanks to both the Governor and the Mayor I understand that the blame doesn't wholly rest with this precinct. I realise that the boy was foisted on you without notice in the middle of a murder investigation. I'm dealing with that. The Governor has been extremely forgiving and, at his grandson's insistence, has asked if the rest of his work experience week with NYPD can be spent here.'

The other people in the room exchanged stunned looks.

'I… of course, Sir, we'd be delighted to…er… have him,' Gates stammered.

'Yes, you will,' Peacock said. It hadn't been a request, 'and you will ensure that his experience is more appropriate to his age.'

'Yes, Sir.'

Castle let out a relieved breath and Kate twitched her eyebrows at him. Gates had, she hoped, at least been saved from the Commissioner's ire. There was still the question of Mahon's revenge but she imagined that he was the sort of man who would choose an unexpected moment to settle scores. She started to stand but a glance from the Commissioner told her he hadn't finished.

'Now, Captain Gates, there's another matter that needs to be sorted out and I need a clear answer from you. I'm sure that the presence of Mr Castle in this room won't stop you from telling me what you really think. Do you or do you not want Mr Castle to continue to work in your precinct?'

Castle and Kate looked at each other before turning their attention to the captain. This time the day before they would have been confident of her reply but a lot had happened since and she might well have decided that the writer was more trouble than she needed. The hard stare she turned on him wasn't encouraging. Neither was her delay in responding.

'Commissioner, the honest answer is that Mr Castle frequently annoys me more than almost anyone I know but he is a real asset to my precinct. I would like him to stay.'

Kate could have jumped up and kissed her boss and, from the look on Castle's face, it was just what he planned to do as soon as he got the chance. Instead she smiled at her and Gates acknowledged that with a little inclination of her head, completely ignoring Castle.

'I see. I would ask you to explain why you apparently told the Deputy Commissioner the opposite but I have better things to do with my time. Mr Castle, if you were employed by NYPD there is no way you would be allowed to work with your fiancée. As you're not, I have discretion to allow you to remain as a consultant. You may do so at Captain Gates' pleasure. If the captain says you're out, you're out. I've told the Mayor that and he understands. Now, I need to get back to real work. Good day.'

He stood and left them with a curt nod of his head and they watched him go. As the elevator doors closed Castle jumped to his feet and took a step towards Gates.

'Not another step, Mr Castle, or you will be taking the next elevator car down. Get back to work, both of you, before I change my mind.'

Kate closed her eyes for a second before grinning at Castle, tight lipped to hold in the wide smile that she was saving for when they had some privacy. The tension of the last few days released, her eyes misted up. Break room. They needed to get to the break room now. Her relief and happiness couldn't be contained much longer. She was already half way out the door when Gates spoke.

'By the way, I think I'd like to revisit that bar of yours this evening, Mr Castle,' she said, without looking up.

**Although this story has almost reached it's conclusion, I'd still love to hear your views. Also, any thoughts for future stories would be great. I think comedy and romance are my forte but I can ****manage some angst too - though I'll always dish up a happy ending.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Here's the final chapter though I might be tempted into an epilogue. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 23

Kate's long legs ate up the space between Gates' office and her objective and it was all Castle could do to keep up. Ryan and Esposito were watching, their immobile faces and tense shoulders signalling their concern, and he knew that he ought to take a moment to reassure them that everything was fine. Better than fine. But he was eager to catch up with her so he kept moving, twisting his mouth into what he trusted was more a smile than a grimace, and hoped that it would be enough to ease their anxiety.

He broke into a half-trot for a couple of steps as she disappeared into the break room but his progress was abruptly frustrated in the doorway by the rapid exit of two young uniformed officers. Forced to take a step back, he resisted the urge to push them out of his way, his left leg jumping impatiently as he waited. Whatever she had said to them made them as keen to get out as he was to get in and, with just a few seconds delay, he was shutting the door behind him with his foot, his eyes on Kate's back as she closed the blinds. He gave sharp twist to the wands on the windows nearest to him to finish the job, blocking off Ryan and Esposito who had followed him in slower time and were standing shoulder to shoulder a few steps away.

He expected forceful Beckett to turn to him, thinking that her rapid escape heralded a need for physical contact, probably a wide smile and a fierce kiss before getting back to work. But it was soft, vulnerable, misty-eyed Kate that he caught a glimpse of in the moment before she curled into his embrace, pressing herself into his chest. She circled his waist with her arms and he automatically draped himself around her, ready as always to give her whatever she needed.

'Kate, it's okay. We're good. Shhh now, honey,' he soothed in response the shuddering breath she released that reverberated through him.

He kissed the top of her head and laid his cheek against her silky hair, continuing to mumble comforting words. The force of her reaction took him by surprise. This was private Kate, the one only he got to see, and his gut clenched at what this meant, at how deeply worried she must have been that they wouldn't be able to work together anymore and, if it were possible, this evidence of how much he meant to her would have made him love her even more.

'I was so worried,' she whispered.

'I know. Me too.'

Ever since their engagement had become public property, the high probability that their working partnership was about to end had been a dark cloud they'd both chosen to pretend wasn't looming on the horizon, until earlier that morning when Kate had said she'd rather resign than carry on without him. He'd accepted her statement at face value but he knew her well enough to appreciate that she wouldn't be able to step away without regrets and, had the worst happened, he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd changed her mind. And if she had, he'd have been fine with that but he couldn't deny the twinge of relief that he'd felt when he thought that she might leave NYPD to do something less dangerous.

Maybe she'd reconsider sometime in the future and he wondered whether having a child might be the catalyst for that decision. He could only begin to imagine how much more he would worry when she was pregnant and how he'd cope when he held up their baby for a goodbye kiss on her first day back at work. She was extraordinary and he had no doubt that she could be anything she wanted, but if she was going to leave the NYPD it had to be her choice and he hoped he'd be strong enough not to put pressure on her when the time came.

'You okay?' she asked, her voice unsteady.

'Huh? Yeah,'

Lost in his thoughts, he must have tightened his hold and he loosened it now, trying to let out the tension in his arms. She pulled back to look up at him, her watery eyes softly searching his face.

'I was just thinking how worried I'll be about you doing this when you're pregnant,' he said, answering her unspoken question.

Her eyes widened and a faint blush stole up her cheeks then she smiled widely and shook her head.

'Jeez, Castle, getting ahead of yourself there. Can we just be grateful that we're both still here before you start conjuring up the next thing to worry about?'

'The next thing?' he said hopefully, and she let go of his waist to squeeze her arms between them, gently drumming her fists on his chest.

'Lots on our agenda before that, buddy, including a little matter of a wedding.'

'Hmm, we need to start planning. Decide on a date…'

'Beckett,' Ryan called, knocking on the door.

'Not now, Ryan!' she shouted and he marvelled at how she could be his gentle, loving fiancée and strong, uncompromising boss of men all at the same time.

He pulled her tight again, trapping her hands on his chest and curved his head down towards hers until his mouth was hovering a half an inch away from her parted lips. The specks of green in her hazel eyes disappeared as her pupils dilated and he felt her warm breath mingle with his before he finally feathered his lips over hers.

'Kate? Ahh, sorry to interrupt.'

They slowly broke apart and turned to face Ryan who was standing in the doorway, trying unsuccessfully to look anywhere except at them. Esposito was behind him, shamelessly staring, his eloquent grin demonstrating how completely unabashed he was to catch them in an intimate moment.

'Kevin, Javi, not now,' Kate said, leaning into Castle's side.

'Better be now, Kate, because Gates said if you don't get out of the break room immediately and put the blinds up she's going change her mind and kick out writer boy today.'

'Writer boy? Aren't we beyond that?' Castle asked, his intonation rising.

'Her words.' Ryan shrugged.

Kate flicked her brows at Castle and, with a graze of her fingers over the back of his hand, she slipped by him, striding past the boys.

'Right. Come on you two. Back to work,' she said.

They ignored her and turned expectant eyes on Castle and his breath faltered under their scrutiny.

'We're still waiting, Castle,' Esposito said.

'Yep, waiting,' Ryan concurred.

'Waiting? For coffee?' Castle asked, confused.

'Best man,' Ryan said.

'Who's it gonna be?' Esposito clarified.

'I'm just gonna… I'll… I'm… Coffee. I'm gonna make… That… I think… yep. That's Beckett calling you. I'm… I'll bring you a coffee.' He grabbed a couple of mugs and went to work at the machine.

* * *

Melinda had worked for Deputy Commissioner Mahon for over three years. She knew his reputation better than anyone but she also knew that the rumours didn't tell the whole story. He was arrogant, ferociously ambitious, occasionally vengeful and frequently judgmental; but he was also hard working, dedicated, and surprisingly kind to those in favour. She wouldn't describe him as a good man but she'd worked for far worse. At least he always took the time to say good morning and treated her with a degree of respect. Which was why she was so taken-aback when he barged through her office on route to his own, an hour later than usual, without even a grunt of acknowledgement of her presence.

'Deputy Commissioner…' she urgently tried to get his attention but he was already slamming the door behind him and she shrugged. She'd tried to warn him.

Mahon took a second to lean his back against the door, relieved at last to be alone.

'Good morning, Mike. Come on in and sit down.'

He opened his eyes wide. The Commissioner was reading the New York Times in one of his guest chairs and was inviting him to take a seat in his own office. His hackles rose but he stifled the unwise words that clambered at his lips. The day had started badly; it didn't need to deteriorate any further.

'Commissioner, I didn't know you were waiting. I had a bit of a domestic issue…'

'I know. Melinda told me. Nothing serious I hope?'

'No, just a… Nothing serious,' he said, walking around his desk to sit opposite his boss. 'What can I do for you?'

'This business with Richard Castle at the twelfth?'

'Ah yes. I've been thinking about that since we talked yesterday. Whatever Captain Gates wants, I think it would be wise to let him stay.'

'You do?' Peacock raised his brows in surprise.

'By all accounts he's actually been quite useful and it has given the NYPD some much needed positive publicity. You know, as he's not employed by the city you have discretion to allow him continue.'

'Indeed I do. This is rather different advice to what you offered yesterday.'

'I er… I may have been a little hasty.'

'Hmm. I think you may have. I've already told him he can stay.'

'Oh, you have?'

'I have.' He nodded in agreement and stood to take his leave.

'By the way,' he added, pausing with his fingers on the door handle, 'I thought I made it clear when I asked you to look after David Perry that _you _were the one who was to do the looking after. Leaving him with a team of busy homicide detectives was not what I or the Governor had in mind.'

He smiled humourlessly and closed the door behind him.

Mahon cradled his head in his hands. He'd been wrong. He'd thought there was no scope for things to get any worse but they just had. He had been so angry and so triumphant when he'd left the twelfth precinct, he'd completely forgotten about the boy, only remembering him as he drifted off to sleep. He'd woken with an uneasy feeling that that might come back to haunt him but all thoughts of David had been expelled over breakfast. He'd made the mistake of telling his wife about Richard Castle. She was a fan – a big fan – and she wasn't going to sit back and let her husband break up his partnership with his beautiful muse. It might mean the end of the Nikki Heat series that she so loved and, even more than that, she'd followed recent reports of the very romantic engagement between the writer and the detective. It was a wonderful love story, even better than the fictional relationship between Rook and Heat. No, her husband wasn't going to get in the way of the happy ending she'd been hoping for since she'd read _Heat Wave_.

You could count on less than the digits of one hand the people to whom Mahon had to kowtow. There was the Mayor, the Commissioner and, of course, the Governor. Until today, he'd thought he'd done a good job of upwardly managing the Commissioner and that had taken care of the other two. But the fourth person on that list, and the only one that he didn't ever dare to cross, was Mrs Margaret Mahon. So, after he'd calmed her down and made her a fresh pot of tea, he'd reassured her that, whatever else he did today, his number one priority would be to ensure that her favourite author kept his place in the twelfth precinct. And when he got home tonight, after stopping at the florist on the way, he'd take full credit for that even though Peacock had inexplicably taken that decision himself.

* * *

Ryan drummed his fingers on the desk and chewed on his bottom lip. His brow was deeply furrowed and eyes unfocussed.

'Relax, bro. Here. I made you coffee,' Esposito said, spinning his chair to face his partner.

'Maybe we should leave it a bit longer.'

'It's the perfect opportunity. You said that Jenny's ready and everyone's gonna be there. And she's in the second trimester now so it's time.'

Kevin looked up at his friend and smiled, wondering if he even realised that he was picking up the language of pregnancy.

'What?' Esposito asked, narrowing his eyes.

'Nothing.' He shook his head, his smile fading. He wanted to tell their friends. He wanted them to share the excitement but he was nervous. What were the right words to use, he wondered?

'Hey, Kevin, don't worry. I've got your back.' Javi clutched his shoulder and Kevin nodded.

* * *

'Wine, Castle. You know the one,' Kate said, balancing on a stool at one of the high tables.

'I most certainly do.' He scurried away to the bar.

Lanie used the table to lever herself up onto the stool next to Kate.

'Girl, you've got that man whipped.'

'And that's news?' Kate said, a smile playing round her lips as she watched him easily slotting into his role as host.

She was in awe of his ability to make natural conversation with everyone. He never failed to chat to the other patrons at the same time as ensuring that their friends had their drinks and, however distracted he was by what was going on around him, he always remembered to thank the barman. He was effortlessly sociable and courteous. He called her extraordinary but, she thought, he was the extraordinary one.

'Excuse me! From that dopey look on your face I'd say that he's got you just as whipped.'

'What? No way!' Kate let her hair fall forward in an attempt to hide the flush that warmed her cheeks from her friend's penetrating gaze.

'You keep telling yourself that girlfriend,' she said, giving her hand a quick squeeze. 'I've said it before and I'll say it again. I couldn't be happier for you, Kate. It took you long enough to see what was right in front of your nose.'

Kate tossed her head back, shaking her chestnut waves away from her face so she could meet her friend's eyes.

'I saw it, Lanie. I was just too scared to do anything about it. Thank you. For pushing me. If it wasn't for you, I may never have taken that leap of faith,' Kate said in a rare burst of openness, adding in hushed tones, 'but if you tell anyone I said that…'

'I know. I know. You'll shoot me,' Lanie said, throwing her hands up in the air. 'Now let's get drunk. Castle, what's taking you so long? A girl could die of thirst around here.'

'Coming.'

Castle, a glass of wine in each hand, expertly balanced a Margarita between his fingers only to have Esposito take it from him.

'Seems to me, you could do with taking some of your own advice,' Kate whispered, ignoring the death glare her friend sent in her direction.

'Hey, Javi. Where's Kevin?' Kate asked when the two men arrived at the table.

'Meeting Jenny. Should be here any minute,' he said, switching on his best smile as he handed Lanie her drink.

'Great. Are they going to tell us about the baby at last?'

'What? You know about that?' Javi's jaw dropped as the three others nodded.

'How?' he demanded.

'It's obvious,' shrugged Castle.

'You think we're stupid?' Lanie sassed.

'Lanie, he's going to think I told you…'

'Don't worry. We'll play dumb. Especially Castle. He's really good at that,' Kate teased.

'Hey, what did I do?'

He looked injured and Kate blew him an air kiss as consolation. Deciding that was an invitation not to be resisted he leant in for the real thing before being halted by Javi's words.

'Here's Gates.'

Castle automatically straightened his back, unable to hide the fact that the captain still made him nervous.

'Relax, Mr Castle. You're not on parade,' Gates said, slipping off her blazer.

He hastened around the table to take it from her and Kate rolled her eyes at his efforts to get in the captain's good books. You had to admire his tenacity.

'What can I get you, Captain?'

'I'll have the same as Dr Parish. Is it strong?' she asked Lanie.

'It's got a bit of a kick.'

'Good. After the last couple of days that's just what I need. Is Detective Ryan joining us?'

'On his way,' Javi said.

'With his wife?'

'Yeah.'

Gates nodded. 'I guess they'll tell us tonight then.'

'You know too?' Javi shook his head.

'Shh! Here they are,' Lanie whispered.

Kevin held the door open for his wife who was fulfilling one of the stereotypes of pregnancy by looking radiant.

'Jenny! You look great,' Kate said, getting down to hug her.

* * *

'I'd like to propose a toast,' Castle said, giving Jenny her juice. Javi spluttered into his beer and Kevin patted his back. Kate glared at her fiancé, worried that he'd forgotten that they weren't supposed to know about the pregnancy.

'To Captain Gates. I know that I've caused you more than a few headaches over the past couple of years, Captain. That makes it even more special that you went in to bat for me. Thank you, Sir.' He held his glass up to her and she tipped hers in his direction.

'I'll second that, Captain. I'm particularly grateful because I know just how annoying he can be,' Kate added, raising her glass and drinking.

'Hey!' Castle whined, to peals of laughter.

'You better prove to me that I made the right decision, Mr Castle,' Gates said, a wink at Kate tempering her stern tone.

'Er… I'd um… I'd like to propose a toast too,' Kevin said, and they all turned to him expectantly. 'To my beautiful wife and baby O'Malley Ryan who I can't wait to meet in six months time.'

Jenny blushed prettily as she accepted the hugs and congratulations and Ryan beamed, the proudest man in New York.

'Fatherhood is the most rewarding experience in the world, Kevin. It must be even better when you are share it with the woman you love,' Castle said, catching Kate's eye over Ryan's shoulder as he gave him a hug. She met his gaze, knowing that those words were meant for her too, and she didn't attempt to hide the smile that bubbled up.

* * *

'Babies, weddings. Isn't there anything else to talk about?' Javi moaned to Lanie, bringing her a third Margarita.

'Looks to me like you're having a good time, Javier. You'll be babysitter extraordinaire the way you're going.'

'What? Me? No way. Daipers and vomit and all that stuff? Uh, uh. I'm not touching baby Ryan until he's old enough to catch a baseball.'

'He?'

'It's gotta be a boy. Ryan wouldn't have a girl. He wouldn't do that to me.'

She shook her head and walked off to join Kate who was laughing with Gates in the corner.

'What's the joke?'

'Castle,' they said together. He was standing behind Jenny, massaging her shoulders and sharing his advice about the best way to wind a baby.

'Girl, you better be ready for this. He's going to wrap you up in cotton wool when it's your turn.'

'Lanie! We're not even married yet.'

'And that's going to stop you?'

'Yes. I don't want to walk down the aisle pregnant.'

'On that note, I'll say goodnight. My husband is cooking dinner tonight. It's an unusual treat and I don't want to be late.' Gates got to her feet and wove her way a little unsteadily to the door, calling her farewells as she went.

'Speaking of dresses,' Lanie said.

'Were we?'

'We are now. When are we going to get yours?'

'I hadn't thought about it,' Kate mumbled.

'Don't you tell me porky pies, Kate Beckett. I bet you chose your dress months ago.'

'What?' she exclaimed.

Lanie said nothing, her raised brows demonstrating her disbelief.

'Well, I did see this one dress in the window of that little bridal shop on West 21st,' Kate said, lowering her voice.

'You try it on?'

'Didn't go in the shop. It just seemed such a strange thing to do.'

'That's old Kate Beckett thinking. New Kate Beckett is going to marry her dream man and needs a dress to wear. Thursday after work followed by a bottle of red at my place,' Lanie said.

Kate knew when she was beaten and nodded her agreement, grateful that her friend was going to take her in hand.

* * *

Castle was already in bed when Kate came out of the bathroom. They'd been the last to leave the Old Haunt. Kevin had taken Jenny home early, his tender care for his wife bringing a smile to all their faces, and Javi and Lanie had left together supposedly to share a cab, but Lanie's wink at Kate had told a different story. She really hoped that those two could sort themselves out. They deserved happiness too.

She dropped her bathrobe and bent over to pull up her new cream silk sleep shorts before slowly sliding her arms through the straps of the matching camisole, giving a little shimmy to help it fall into place. She had her back to Castle but she knew that his appreciative eyes were on her the whole time.

I was thinking,' he said, propping her pillow up next to his so she could sit up beside him.

'Hmm?' She crawled up the bed on her hands and knees and turned at the top, sinking back against the goose down pillows. She wasn't in the mood for much talking and the glow in his eyes told her he wasn't either and she wondered where he was going with this.

'Italy.'

'Italy?'

'Italy! For our honeymoon. If you want to.'

She'd dreamed about visiting Italy for years but a cop's salary didn't stretch very far when it came to intercontinental travel. Even if she could've afforded it, she'd rarely taken more than a few vacation days at a time. She got fidgety if she spent time away from the precinct. At least she used to. Now she looked forward to holidays, finding it easy to forget about work when she was relaxing with Castle.

'Italy.' She drew it out like a long sigh and smiled up at him. 'Perfect. But… wait, haven't you already been there?'

Her smile faded. She wanted to discover somewhere together, a place that was new to both of them. Definitely not spend their honeymoon in a country where he'd taken some blonde bimbo or ex-wife.

'Only to Naples and Sicily for research.'

'You haven't been to Rome? Or Venice? Verona?'

He shook his head. 'Nope. Just a tiny bit of the far south for a few days. I had to get out quick because a capo from the Cosa Nostra thought I was asking too many questions.' He shuddered theatrically and she rolled her eyes.

'Were you travelling alone?'

'Yes, Detective, I was.'

Her happiness overflowed in a slow smile that bloomed on her face like a flower opening in time-lapse photography. His answering grin was irresistible and she leaned across to kiss him tenderly before settling back on her pillow.

'Can we go to Siena?'

'We can go anywhere we want.'

'There's this horse race in the piazza…'

'The Palio.'

'I'd love to see that.'

'Then we'll see it. It's held twice in July and August.'

'Research?'

He nodded. 'So a June wedding?'

Her smile slipped and concern clouded his face. She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

'Too soon?' he asked tentatively.

She shook her head reaching out to take his hand. 'Not soon enough.'

It was Castle's turn to show how happy that made him and he crushed her against his chest with his hug.

'We could elope,' he said and her laughter cracked out across the room.

She pushed herself free so she could look at him, her eyes dancing with enjoyment.

'Elope? What are you, a girl in some Regency romance?'

'Do you read Regency romances?' he asked. He squeezed his chin down on to his chest so that he could see her face.

'Don't change the subject.'

'You're blushing. You do! Katherine Beckett, a historical romance fan. Ha!'

'I might have been, when I was younger. Then I discovered a ruggedly handsome author who wrote macabre mysteries and I abandoned the bodice rippers.'

He fingered her cream silk camisole, pulling the straps tentatively and she smacked his hand away.

'I'll buy you a replacement,' he pleaded.

'Elope?' she asked, drawing his attention back on track.

'Hmm. Just the two of us in a Tuscan medieval hill town. A private ceremony, then I'll rip off your bodice in a four poster bed.'

He wriggled his fingers under her top and she gabbed his wrist, repositioning his hand firmly back his own chest.

'Just you and me sounds wonderful, but I think our friends and families have expectations.' She sighed regretfully and he freed his wrist from her clutches so he could entwine his fingers with hers, caressing the back of her thumb with the pad his own.

'It's our wedding, Kate.'

'But they'd be disappointed.'

'They'd get over it.'

'Lanie?'

'Ahh. She'd…'

'…murder us.'

'Yeah. Or worse. But we don't have to wait until June. We can fly back for the palio. Make it part two of our honeymoon.'

She nodded snuggling closer and rested her head on his chest. A two-part honeymoon sounded even better.

'How about Christmas?' she said.

'Really? But you don't like Christmas.'

'I do now.' He kissed her hair, his arms tightening around her again.

'A Christmas wedding. Might be hard to find a venue.'

'I was thinking we might get married here.'

'In bed? Ouch!' he squealed, her fingers digging into his waist to pinch him.

'You make the loft magical at Christmas, Rick, and I think our wedding should be magical.'

'Me too. It's a bit of a miracle that we've got here. And it'll be intimate. Just our families and closest friends.'

'You don't mind? You weren't dreaming of a big wedding?' she asked.

'Isn't that what I should be asking you?'

'We both know that you're the girl in this relationship, Castle.'

'Huh! Well I'm not wearing a dress.'

'But you'd look so... Oh!'

He slid down the bed, taking her with him, and pulling her over so that she lay on top of him.

'I was thinking of something else too.'

'What?' she gasped, though from the feel of his body under hers, she had a pretty good idea what was on his mind.

'You're wearing far too many clothes,' and Kate squealed as he grabbed the bottom of her cami and ripped upwards so that it was only held together by the top seam. While she was still in shock he flipped them so that she was on her back and he was looming over her, supporting his body on his muscular arms.

'Who's the girl now?' he said, before he lunged at her, his mouth clashing into hers and compelling her lips to part with his urgent tongue.

The encounter was as brief as it was ferocious, her lips following his as he pulled away.

'Are you going to ravage me, Mr Castle?' she moaned.

'I am, Miss Beckett,' he said, diving back for more.

'At last,' she sighed into his mouth.


End file.
